The Pendulum, Feb. 16, 2011 Issue

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The Pendulum ELON, NORTH CAROLINA

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2011

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VOLUME 37, EDITION 4

www.elon.edu/pendulum

Car catches on fire in Oaks parking lot

Campus Kitchen welcomes first volunteers to prepare meals for community Sophomore Weston Sankey, the delivery shift leader, is responsible for coordinating volunteer delivery shifts.

After a preparatory trial “I deal with the logistics period last semester and an of getting foods from here official opening at College to Allied Churches,” he said.

Coffee last Tuesday, Campus “We’ve been going on for a Kitchen at Elon University couple months now and it’s will prepare its first meal been going well, we’re excited Wednesday, Feb. 16 to be delivered to Allied Churches to get more volunteers.”

Both Wilmer and Sankey of Alamance County Thursday. After Wednesday’s will work with volunteers to ensure food is prepared and shift, which will be led by members of the service delivered correctly, while keeping in touch with student learning communities, other director Amber Mathis, who students and community members will have the chance also coordinates with all potential volunteers. to sign up to volunteer.

While working in the Holly Anderson, Campus Kernodle Center Kitchen program for Service coordinator, said “Every once Learning and people looking to in a while, Community get involved have something Engagement the already contacted summer after her. On a weekly new comes her freshman basis, up to six along that year, Mathis first volunteers are refreshes discovered the needed for the two the soul and Campus Kitchens available shifts – Project, a national four for cooking spirit of Elon meals and two for University and o r g a n i z a t i o n that targets delivering them to that is this hunger relief and Allied Churches. project." recreates leftover According to food into balanced its website, Allied Churches is “an -PRESIDENT meals for the emergency shelter, LEO LAMBERT community.

Before the soup kitchen, opening at resource center and College Coffee, Christian assistance Mathis was nervous about network.” the student response, but was Before the opening, pleased with the “excellent Anderson said a student turnout.” executive board was hired.

“Everyone was there, I got Positions include student to introduce the program and director, cooking coordinator, delivery coordinator and by the end, I was in sensory overload,” she said. “I loved public relations director.

Junior Lauren Wilmer that we had (President Leo) Lambert taking the first serves as cooking shift leader and said she is responsible scoop rather than a traditional for ensuring food is not ribbon-cutting ceremony.”

Lambert was joined by his only prepared correctly, but includes all major food wife Laurie, as well as Smith Jackson, vice president and groups. dean of Student Life, and “I organize volunteers, Steven House, provost and make sure the kitchen is a safe vice president for Academic environment so volunteers Affairs. can cook meals that will then “Mrs. Lambert has been be delivered to off-campus involved from day one and locations in the community,” championed the effort,” she said. “As we expand more and more, we will be involved in delivering to other locations.”

Caitlin O'Donnell News Editor

heather Cassano | photo editor

T

he Elon Fire Department was dispatched to a vehicle fire, and arrived in the Oaks parking lot at approximately 6:45 p.m. Monday, Feb 14, after recieving a 911 call. “It was an electrical fire that started under the hood of the car in the engine compartment,” said Chuck Gantos, director of Campus Safety and Police. He said the engine is damaged, but he is unsure to what extent.Gantos identified the car as a blue 2004 minicooper. Visit elon.edu/pendulum for more information as it becomes available.

See KITCHEN | PAGE 3

NAACP rally raises opposition to neighborhood schooling, ‘social injustice’ Melissa Kansky Assistant News Editor

RALEIGH, N.C. — In response to Wake County School Board’s proposed return to neighborhood schooling, more than 100 organizations marched through the streets of Raleigh to advocate for equal educational opportunities for Wake County students and promote the value of diversity in public schools.

After 10 years without neighborhood

schooling, the new school board officials intend to reinstall the system that divides students according to place of residence and, in turn, dividing schools along socioeconomic lines.

Socioeconomic status and race are linked together, according to speakers at the rally’s concluding ceremony.

“We gather here today to demand that every child has a right to high quality, well-funded, diverse constitutional education,” said Rev. William Barber,

NAACP North Carolina state conference president. “Educate our children, lift our children. Invest in our children.”

The crowd swarmed with energy as the thousands of marchers repeatedly chanted, “Forward together, not one step back,” while holding signs and linking arms. Mothers, students and those in the black community were among the thousands who attended to oppose a return to the former system.

“I really like my school the way it is,”

said Max Gowan, 14. “I have friends that come from very diverse backgrounds.”

Gowan said he believes diversity in schools better prepares him for real world experiences and enables children of various backgrounds to have the same educational opportunities.

While student participants associated diversity in the school system with

See RALLY | PAGE 2

For the latest inFormation on elon news, visit www.elon.edu/pendulum

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The Pendulum

Right: Hundreds of people gathered on the streets in front of Shaw University in Raleigh, N.C., to demonstrate against the new school board policies on diversity.

Below: Protestor Chris Smith led marchers by chanting in his megaphone.

Participants formed lines as they marched down Wilmington Street in Raleigh.

All Photos by trAcy rAetz | staff Photographer

Local rally challenges proposed changes to Raleigh school system RALLY from PAGE 1

Above: James Locklear marched with a sign reading “forward ever … backward never,” in representation of the N.C. Public Service Workers Union at the NAACP sponsored rally.

MORE ONLINE: NEWS VIDEO: See and hear scenes from the rally in Raleigh. http://bit.ly/TPOraleigh Melissa Kansky, Multimedia Contributor

equal opportunity, mothers also attended to show support for diversity in schools.

“As a mom whose children got an excellent education, I am marching so all students have access to the same education,” said Pat Kinecheloe.

While the attendees expressed a general belief that diversity improves the educational experience, the school board members do not agree that diversity is the top priority. Chris Malone, Wake County school board member, said he does not believe the educational system during the past 10 years has produced satisfactory results. He expressed a positive attitude about the reassignment.

“People take it as an article of faith that if you put kids in different backgrounds together they are already going to have a better grades,” Malone said. “It is a growth experience, but if diversity gets in the way of achievement then we have our priorities wrong.”

According to Malone, the current school assignments hid underprivileged children in “healthy schools,” masking the problems associated with student achievement.

Still, Vanessa Lucas, a rally participant, said she does not believe neighborhood schools are going to solve problems concerning education and expressed disappointment in the reassignment.

Wake County had a system people were proud of because of its progress in terms of racial and socio-economic diversity, Lucas said.

“We gather to say to those that want to drag us to the politics of yesterday, ‘we won’t go back,’” Barber said. “It increases parent involvement. It gives kids a stable environment and an opportunity to know fellow students and teachers.

It provides consistency in that regard.”

Although Malone acknowledges that a neighborhood school system will not directly increase the number of programs and resources available to students, neighborhood schooling will provide students with a foundation for student achievement through stability and parent involvement, he said.

“Student achievement is our number one priority,” he said. “And that we find a way to succeed for every single kid, regardless of race.”

While the marchers can agree on this objective, they do not believe that neighborhood schooling will achieve increased student achievement.

“I grew up in segregated schools, and it’s unequal “ said Erne Stine.

“They don’t learn as much. They are behind and that’s not fair.”

Posters reading “Separate, but equal does not work,” indicate that the marchers still believe in the verdict of Browning v Board

of Education. Greg Flynn, a rally participant, said he fears the high poverty schools will continue to lack resources necessary for sufficient education and student achievement.

High poverty communities do not have PTA members able to fund large programs and projects, and these schools often educate students with English as a second language, he said.

“We need to allocate more resources (to high poverty schools) and (we’re) not likely to do it,” Flynn said.

While many attended to evoke positive change in North Carolina and maintain past progress, Rodney Harrington saw the rally as an educational opportunity for his children.

“I brought my family,” he said.

“I want them to realize what our forefathers went through so that we can have what we have today.”

Still, Todd Jealous, NAACP president and CEO, said he does not believe the fight is over.

“Do not believe the illusion that our forefathers finished the battle,” Jealous said. “We are still fighting the old Jim Crow.”

Jealous and Barber led the rally, which began on East South Street and ended in front of the North Carolina State Legislature building on Jones Street. The day of the rally marked the 102nd birthday of the NAACP.

Above: Marchers and supporters of the NAACP-sponsored rally protested the changes made by the Wake County school board in regards to the diversity policy Saturday, Feb. 12 in Raleigh, N.C.

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wednesday, February 16, 2011 // Page 3

Brian allenBy | staff photographer

Elon students gathered in 1889 for College Coffee and Campus Kitchen’s grand opening Feb. 8. Leo Lambert and Smith Jackson addressed the audience, along with student director Amber Mathis.

KITCHEN from PAGE 1

Students gather for opening of Campus Kitchen Anderson said. “She really embraces the Burlington community.”

At the event, Jackson addressed the audience gathered for the opening, and said the value of service has been a part of Elon since its founding.

Referencing former President Jimmy Carter’s visit to Elon in 1989 following the creation of Habitat for Humanity on campus.

Jackson said he feels the “same

sense of excitement breaking new ground with the Campus Kitchen Project.”

Lambert, who also spoke, said the kitchen serves as a teaching moment for undergraduates to experience service learning.

“Every once in a while, something new comes along that refreshes the soul and spirit of Elon University and that is this project,” he said.

Following the remarks from Mathis, Jackson and Lambert, members of Elon faculty, donned in red aprons, prepared the first meal of lasagna.

The first year of Campus Kitchen’s operation at Elon will be funded by a donation of $50,000 from ARAMARK, which marks the 50th year they have partnered with Elon.

“They’ve been with Elon for a very long time and Elon has the (highest)

number of facilities per student,” Mathis said. “Campus Kitchen was starting and they felt it was a good place for their money to go.”

The Office of University Advancement is currently looking for donors for future years.

One class sponsored a “Minute to Win It” event, Mathis said, and donated about $525 that benefited Campus Kitchen’s pantry.

Brian Williams to lead panel discussion of national events at spring convocation Caitlin O’Donnell news editor

NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams will moderate a panel discussing five issues facing the nation at the spring Convocation for Honors April 7. The annual event recognizes students on the Dean’s and President’s Lists, faculty members, the upcoming graduating class and members of the Elon Society.

The idea for the panel originated among Elon University’s senior staff after discussing issues facing the nation and talking to students about what they felt was important.

“There seemed to be a confluence of nagging issues that are eating away at society,” said Dan Anderson, assistant vice president and director of university relations. “The early concept was ‘Our Children’s Children’ and the kind of world we’re leaving for (them).”

President Leo Lambert held discussions with Brian Williams, an Elon parent, about his involvement in convocation, according to Anderson. After presenting the concept of moderating a panel discussion, Williams said he would like to participate.

Based on discussion with senior staff members and with future generations in mind, Lambert led the effort to develop topics addressing major challenges to come.

This included environmental and economic challenges, problems of terrorism and religious intolerance as well as political instability.

Sophomore Lyssa Gremminger, an engineering major, said she is particularly interested in hearing both Williams and the panelists take on science and technology initiatives within the United States. “(It’s) all things that threaten the very fabric of our society,” Anderson said. “Let’s find ways we can attack these systemic problems and really make a difference.”

After introducing the panelists, questions will be posed by Williams and answered by the panel, which will include David Gergen, David Walker, Shirley Ann Jackson, Eboo Patel and David Levin.

“The idea was to find people who weren’t partisan and didn’t come in with any political agenda,” Anderson said. “People who were wellinformed authorities in these issues and have been doing significant work and could bring a level of expertise.”

Williams has expertise as a moderator of townhall meetings and presidential debates, according to Anderson, and is well-suited for the event.

“He has a great deal of knowledge on world issues and years of experience working at the highest levels,” he said.

More than 150 faculty, staff and students are involved on the day of convocation, according to Jeff Clark, executive director of cultural and special programs. This includes ushers, campus security, television services, first aid and environmental services, among other roles.

“My responsibility is to pull all of this together, make sure that all areas and contingencies are covered, make sure that the event looks great and is well rehearsed so that it all goes smoothly and begins on time,” Clark said. “We have a great cultural and programs staff who carry many of the areas of responsibility and many of the faculty and staff assignments have been handled by the same people for several years.”

In the past, convocation has typically been structured around one primary speaker or been performance-based with a musical element, Anderson said.

“All of our main campus events are meant to encourage community dialogue about big issues,” he said. “It’s important to the intellectual life of the university.”

“I’ll probably attend convocation because I need to

stay informed,” she said.

Currently, there are plans to potentially involve panelists in smaller events prior to convocation with people more specifically involved with the issues discussed.

While this may not necessarily include people from campus, Anderson said local business or community members could be involved.

Anderson said all panel members are impressive, well-spoken authority figures who have worked with Lambert extensively prior to convocation.

“Some of these panelists will surprise people who might not be familiar with them,” Anderson said. “I think with every single one of them, people will go ‘wow.’”

photo courtesy Wikimedia commons

Brian Williams, anchor of NBC Nightly News, will host a panel discussion concerning five national issues for Elon’s annual spring convocation April 7.

Who are the panelists and what will they be discussing?

Question 1: How can we move beyond partisan gridlock and find the will to solve our nation’s problems? speaker 1: david gergen, senior political analyst for Cnn, adviser to four u.s. presidents, director of the Center for Public leadership at the harvard Kennedy school and chair of the elon university school of law advisory board.

Questions 2: How can we promote fiscal responsibility by government and not mortgage our children’s and grandchildren’s future? speaker 2: david walker, former u.s. Comptroller general and head of the u.s. government accountability Office (GAO), and founder, president and CEO of the Comeback America Initiative.

Question 3: What investments in science and technology must we make to show economic leadership, environmental stewardship and greater energy independence?

Spaker 3: Shirley Ann Jackson, a physicist and president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, former chair of the nuclear regulatory Commission and a member of the President’s Council of advisors on science and Technology.

Question 4: How can we promote reconciliation and understanding in an era of religious extremism that often fuels strife around the world?

Speaker 4: Eboo Patel, an American Muslim of Indian heritage who is an author, journalist, member of President barack Obama’s advisory Council on Faith-based neighborhood Partnerships and founder and president of the Interfaith Youth Core, which promotes religious pluralism.

Question 5: What are the most effective measures we can take to improve the quality of K-12 public education in an era of declining government support and changing demographics?

Speaker 5: David Levin, co-founder of the “Knowledge is Power Program,” a network of high-achieving KIPP charter schools that serves 27,000 mostly low-income minority children in 20 states and washington, d.C.

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Students in Army ROTC prepare for duty Kassondra Cloos News Editor

For students in the Reserve Officer’s Training Corps at Elon University, the day often begins long before morning classes. With physical training starting at or before 6 a.m. multiple time per week among many other commitments, ROTC students’ preparation for Army service requires dedication.

“It’s difficult at times, being a student also, because you can’t stay up late like the traditional college student,” junior Demarco Crum said. “I enjoy it, but it’s difficult.”

Maj. Stephen Thompson, assistant professor of military science, said students can join the ROTC either during or after their freshman year of college.

“Progression cadets are the ones who start as freshmen and then move all the way through the four years of college,” he said.

Crum, whose tuition is covered by an ROTC scholarship he secured before starting at Elon, said this year is all about preparing him and the other juniors for the Leader and Development Assessment Course, a camp in Fort Lewis, Wash., that ROTC cadets attend the summer before their senior year of college.

“For a cadet, that’s the Super Bowl,” Thompson said. “It’s a big event for them. Next to GPA, their score at camp is the next big discriminator of what really sets them apart, that’s going to be able to show how good they are. Ultimately how they do at that camp, how they do with their GPA will determine what they do in the Army.”

Crum said camp is highly realistic and all students have the opportunity to act as leaders. It’s important, he

Brian allenBy | Staff Photographer

Members of Elon’s ROTC have grueling schedules during their time in college. Cadets take classes on top of physical training, which is located about 45 minutes away.

said, for all cadets to be able to handle every situation under intense pressure.

“If even one person doesn’t understand exactly what’s going on, the whole mission is at stake,” he said. “Lives are at stake.”

According to Crum, a lot of the camp involves learning how to work with other people.

“It’s how you can deal with people, and complete strangers,” he said. “So it’s not quite realistic, if you’re in a unit, you know those guys, those men and women, you know them well, you’ve trained with them, you sweat with them, hell, even sometimes you’ve bled with them, in battle.”

Crum said much of his motivation for joining the ROTC came from his parents, who have both been active in the military.

“I’m one of the many who,

post 9/11, understood that at the time a lot of the manpower is being decreased in Iraq,” Crum said. “At the time of the signing, we had two major conflicts going on. I knew what I was saying when I signed that dotted line and honestly I’d go back and sign it again.”

First Lt. Joe DeNenno, class of 2009, said he decided he wanted to be in the ROTC during orientation weekend his freshmen year at Catch the Fire.

“I don’t think any of us deserve, per se, the rights we have just being born here,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to do my part to give back.”

DeNenno received a fulltuition ROTC scholarship and Elon provided him with room and board. He said if he had not received the scholarship, he would have attended Elon for one year and then enlisted with plans to return to college

later.

“Any ROTC experience is not going to be your typical college experience,” he said. “You had to really want it. It was five days a week driving one and a half hours round trip to PT. It started a foundation for really knowing what you want.”

DeNenno is now a companyfire support officer.

“Primarily, I lethally or nonlethally target and engage the enemy,” he said.

“With all different possibilities and majors, I think I have one of the luckiest combinations of the two,” DeNenno said. “Now, I get to market peace to people.”

DeNenno said the different skills he learned at Elon through his professors and extracurricular activities have all played a part in qualifying him for the position he currently holds.

“If I could do it 100 times

over, I don’t think I’d do anything different,” he said.

“Everything I did at Elon has somehow impacted what I do in the military.”

DeNenno said he is nervous to deploy to Afghanistan in the coming weeks, but is also excited for the experience.

“Imagine being on a sports team and training for a game for five to six years and you finally get to play that game,” he said. “I’m anxious to get over there. It’s dangerous and scary but I’ve accepted that and I’m ready to go.”

His unit, Charlie company, 2nd battalion, 87th infantry regiment, 3rd BCT, 10th mountain division, is the most deployed unit in the United States and has deployed every other year since 1992.

“Every morning you have to wake up and be fully committed to what you do,” DeNenno said.

Administration strives to eliminate obstacles, create more opportunities for all students to study abroad Gabriela Szewcow design Chief

When Adam Constantine graduated from Elon University in 2009, there was one thing he always regretted.

Because he was an athlete, he was unable to study abroad, a common situation among student athletes.

As a member of the basketball team, his season overlapped fall and spring semester, as well as Winter Term. But athletes aren’t the only students who miss out on Elon’s study abroad opportunities.

Seeking to identify other factors preventing students from studying abroad, Elon administration is working to increase availability of these programs.

One theme of The Elon Commitment is “an unprecedented university commitment to diversity and global engagement,” which the university plans to accomplish by making study abroad programs available to 100 percent of students on campus.

Seventy percent of Elon’s most recent graduating class studied abroad, which Woody Pelton, dean of international programs and director of the Isabella Cannon Centre, believes is a good percentage. It’s the 30 percent not going abroad that the university is attempting to reach by pinpointing barriers.

“There are some things that we’ve been able to identify,” Pelton said.

“Probably the No. 1 reason would be money.”

He said some students think studying abroad is more costly than it actually is. A semester program usually ends up being less costly than a Winter Term program, which is why Pelton directs students to semester term programs if they are financially constrained.

Aside from financial reasons, Pelton identified high levels of student involvement as another deterrent from studying abroad. Because of this, many students have to make the choice between remaining on campus and being involved in their respective organizations or taking the opportunity to study abroad.

“Those are tough decisions to make, and I think that sometimes students choose against studying abroad,” Pelton said.

Alana Dunn, assistant director for short-term study abroad programs, identified Greek Life, the theater program and athletics as primary obstacles preventing students from studying abroad.

“We’re collaborating across campus and working to find opportunities and eliminate obstacles for students to study abroad,” Dunn said.

The university has been speaking to focus groups of recent graduates who were unable to study abroad for various reasons, including athletic commitments and financial issues.

By hearing directly from students about why they did not study abroad, the university hopes to cater to the same demographics from which the

What does 100 percent really mean?

Elon is not expecting 100 percent of students to study abroad, but wants 100 percent of students to have access to the programs.

“This means money should not be an issue,” Pelton said. “This should be an option to every student regardless of what their parents do for a living or how much of a scholarship they’re on. and discipline should not rule you out either. and neither should being an athlete, being a member of greek life or being in the theatre program.” graduates came and give them more study abroad opportunities.

“We’re working with academic departments to find programs for those departments that are predetermined for a specific major,” Dunn said.

She said she believes it is the goal of Elon’s study abroad programs to fit into students’ plans and complement their studies.

“It’s not just our goal, it’s the goal of the entire university,” she said.

“We’re at the core.”

Pelton said he believes giving students a variety of options is key.

“That’s why we offer the Winter Term study abroad time,” he said.

“It’s less disruptive to students’ involvements on campus.”

According to Constantine, athletics is one of the biggest obstacles that stand to studying abroad.

“Even for sports whose seasons don’t overlap in semester, it is still near impossible to study abroad due to the pre and post season workouts that are established by each collegiate sport,” he said.

Because of this, Pelton plans to work with coaches on finding a solution to allow student athletes to study abroad. The study abroad office is also working directly with academic departments in a similar manner.

“Every department, if they work with us, can weave a study abroad into their eight-semester program,” Pelton said. “I think it makes you better understand the United States and yourself because you have to look at it through a lens that’s different from what you have used all your life.

You become more curious about the world and I think that in itself makes you a better student.”

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wednesday, February 16, 2011 // Page 5

S.M.A.R.T. program targets more than racial minorities, seeks all forms of student diversity Through the Student Mentors Advising Rising Talent, or S.M.A.R.T. program, freshmen minority students at Elon University have the opportunity to transition into college with the support of an upperclassman mentor.

But contrary to what Melissa Jordan, assistant director of the Multicultural Center, said is the common misconception, the S.M.A.R.T. program targets more than just racial diversity.

“I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that when people think diverse populations they automatically assume racial ethnicity,” Jordan said. “But S.M.A.R.T. focus is for all types of diversity, whether that’s racially diverse, ethnically diverse, religiously diverse, sexuality, gender. It’s just for our diverse population. Low socioeconomic status is also part of that diverse group.”

According to Jordan, the typical Elon student is uppermiddle class and Caucasian, meaning that low-income

“(Other students) just assume students, regardless of race or ethnicity, are considered to be you have money, that you come in the minority at Elon. here on Mom and Dad’s money,” Though freshman Jessica Eller said. “It’s sort of a big deal Eller, a Watson Scholar, said she when it’s coming out of your identifies herself as Caucasian, pocket.” she said she participates in the Eller said she attended a S.M.A.R.T. program as one of her Burlington high school that consisted mainly of minority scholarship requirements.

“If you are on a scholarship students and feels more program, you are com for table sort of a minority among her peers at Elon, but no “The purpose of the in the S.M.A.R.T. one would know,” mentoring program is program than she said. “But to provide an intense with other you don’t just go mentoring experience C a u c a s i a n at around telling ... for diverse students students people, you have that are trying to get Elon. to let them think “It was acclimated to a different d e f i n i t e l y what they want to type of environment.” think.” helpful with transitioning,” Eller said between her -melIssa JOrdan, Eller said. “I scholarship and assIsTanT dIreCTOr OF don’t have any older brothers other financial The mulTICulTural or sisters to aid she receives CenTer talk to about from Elon, she almost has a college.” full ride, but she Freshman still takes out small loans for Zuri Crewe, also in the essentials such as textbooks. S.M.A.R.T. program, said she Eller said it is difficult to feel usually meets with her mentor like no one else understands her and the other mentees in her situation. group once a week, often to just

PACE celebrates its 13th birthday at campus tradition Sam Parker senior reporter

In what began as a vision for the expansion of service learning, Elon University’s North Carolina Campus Compact celebrated its 13th birthday Feb. 8-9, with a guest list of more than 300 participants and 44 institutions.

Campus Compact, a national organization of college and university presidents that represent their institutions’ needs for civic engagement, works to prepare people to be good citizens through service learning conferences.

In continuing Campus Compact’s tradition of civic engagement promotions, North Carolina’s theme this year was service as a solution, offering advice on possible resolutions concerning the economic and social problems of the country.

Kara Quick, AmeriCorps vista, said the goal of the PACE (Pathways to Achieving Civic Engagement) Conference was to motivate faculty and staff to think about service in new ways so they could apply it on their campuses.

“We always want (PACE) to be as impactful as possible so that everyone can get something out of it,” Quick said. “So, the biggest challenge was figuring out how to address the many different member campuses’ needs and interests to make sure that they could go back to their campuses with new ideas.”

Special guests of this year’s conference included Tom Ross, president of UNCChapel Hill; Scott Ralls, president of North Carolina Community Colleges; Hope Williams, president of North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities and 16 other college and university presidents.

John Barnhill, assistant vice president for university

advancement, said he believes these figures help to promote Elon’s reputation as a service-oriented institution.

"I think a benefit (of the event) is prestige,” he said. “By bringing national speakers to campus and then showing that off to the rest of the state and region really has put Elon on the map in a more significant way for this kind of work.”

Despite the consistency surrounding the idea of service, Leslie Garvin, associate director of NCCC, said the biggest change of the conference over the years lies in its focus. She said previous topics addressed in the Civic Engagement Institute, the pre-conference day, have ranged anywhere from international service and social entrepreneurship to access and success.

“The field in North Carolina was really young 13 years ago in terms of civic engagement, so the focus then was really service learning — trying to get faculty to embrace the idea that students ought to also do service with their courses,” Garvin said. “And now, I think the biggest evolution involves us trying to get campuses to think more broadly so when students graduate and need to know about the world around them, they will be able to engage.”

Barnhill said despite the changes, one thing has remained the same: the conference’s location. NCCC’s Civic Engagement Institute and PACE Conference were founded and have been hosted on Elon’s campus since their conception 13 years ago.

Barnhill was the primary figure behind the creation of the conference and said Elon has always acted as its host because of its central location, available space, institutional support and energy to put it on.

hang out or get dinner together at Colonnades dining hall.

“I think it’s a good idea,” she said. “I feel like I have another family at Elon.”

Crewe said she first learned about the program last summer, when she received a brochure in the mail. In the fall, she met with Jordan, her academic enrichment adviser through the program, once a week to talk about her schedule and classes.

“My vision is to produce highperforming, high-achieving students,” Jordan said.

According to Jordan, the goal of the program is to help ease students’ transitions into an environment where they may not automatically feel comfortable.

“The purpose of the mentoring program is to provide an intense mentoring experience, but also a support system for diverse students that are trying to get acclimated to a different type of environment,” she said.

Crewe said the S.M.A.R.T. mentors also performed skits in the fall to show mentees situations in school settings that

may make minority students feel uncomfortable.

“People may say ‘we’re diverse’ because we have these different groups on campus, but if these groups aren’t intermingling, we’re missing the boat,” Jordan said.

According to Jordan, many students are uncomfortable talking about diversity because they find themselves in uncomfortable situations. But Jordan said there will continue to be a gap until students change their mentalities and step outside their comfort zones to interact with new people.

“Students have to be OK with putting your perspective out there, even if you think it’s wrong,” Jordan said. “Often, students won’t say how they feel because they think ‘Oh, that’s not right,’ or ‘I don’t want anyone to judge me, I don’t want anyone to think I’m racist,’ but we have to start those conversations so that perspectives can be put out and then you can learn why that’s an OK perspective, or why someone would be offended by it. But I think students need to remain open.”

Transfer students still apply to Elon during rough economy, retention rate rises Rebecca Smith managing editor

Amidst increasing tuition and an uncertain economy, 70 students transferred to Elon University this semester.

In the past, about 100 transfer students have been accepted per year and about 90 matriculate.

“It has shrunk with economy, but we are still bringing in about 100 students per year,” said Greg Zaiser, dean of admissions.

This year, one student transferred during Winter Term.

“It worked out with her schedule,” said Catherine Williams, associate director of admissions and director of transfer admissions. “But it is very rare for transfer students to be admitted for Winter Term.”

One statistic that attracts traditional and transfer students to Elon University is the retention rate. The first year retention rate is 90 percent and 77 percent of students graduate from Elon within four years.

“We want to maintain enrollment of about 5,000,” Zaiser said. “Increased retention is the reason for growth at Elon.

While the freshman class size has grown, it has not grown as much as the overall retention rate.”

Students transfer to Elon from four-year schools and community colleges from all over the country.

The ratio of transfer students applying to Elon from different states is basically the same ratio as that for freshman students.

Devon Clark, a junior, transferred to Elon in fall of 2009.

“I transferred because the academics were not challenging at the school I went to, Hollins University in Roanoke, because I wanted to be closer to home and because I wanted to be closer to my horse in Hillsborough, N.C.,” Clark said.

Clark’s identical twin sister applied and was accepted to be a part of the 2008 freshman class.

“My sister did not actually play a roll in me coming to Elon,” Clark said. “It is kind of nice to

be at school with family again, but she didn’t influence my decision at all. I was accepted at North Carolina State University as well as Elon when I applied for transfer, but in the end Elon won.”

According to Williams, one-third of transfer students applied to Elon before and were accepted and didn’t come or were not admitted originally.

“I think we are seeing a little more of students saying Elon was always there,” Zaiser said.

One of the biggest attractions for transfer students is the housing situation for transfer students.

Almost all transfer students that want on-campus housing are offered on-campus housing opportunities.

Thirty transfer students live on the main campus and 30 transfer students live in Crest Apartments, which is also considered on-campus housing.

The students who live in Crest have residence assistants and the apartments come furnished by the university.

“This was a great solution for a challenging situation,” Zaiser said. “Part of our challenges over the years has been limited housing for transfer students because of the size of the freshman class.”

The amount of transfer students admitted each year does not correlate to the number of students that transferred out of the university.

“If you are a transfer student and you apply and fit the academic requirements, then you are accepted into Elon,” Williams said.

About 350 transfer applications are received a year, and Elon accepts about 100 transfer students.

“More than 100 students are accepted per year, but merit scholarships are not offered to transfer students right now,” Williams said.

With a retention rate of 90 percent, that still leaves 10 percent of students who leave Elon after the first year.

One of these students is Celia Nissen, who transferred to Emerson College in Boston in

graduaTIOn raTes In nearby sChOOls

Kassondra Cloos news editor

by The numbers: elOn unIVersITy

72% In 2006 73% In 2007 78% In 2008 CamPbell unIVersITy

52% In 2006 52% In 2007 51% In 2008 Queens unIVersITy OF CharlOTTe

62% In 2006 61% In 2007 61% In 2008

2009 after her freshman year.

“I didn’t like being far away from my home in New Hampshire,” Nissen said. “I wanted to be in the Northeast.

I also found that students in my general education classes at Elon were unmotivated overall, so I decided to transfer schools.”

When students choose to transfer out of Elon, they have to go through an exit interview before leaving.

Students have to sit down and do an exit interview answering questions about why they are leaving, according to Williams.

“I had to take paperwork to the department head, who basically tried to convince me to stay,” Nissen said. “Then I had to take a piece of paper around to all these departments around campus who had to sign off and say I was good to go. I also had to do an exit interview and survey.”

Page 6 // wednesday, February 16, 2011

news

The Pendulum

Elon faculty, students to attend world’s largest interactive media conference Eva Hill Copy Chief

Several Elon University students and faculty members will be traveling to Austin, Texas to participate in the South By Southwest Conference, a popular media and music conference, in March.

The conference, which will be celebrating its 25th anniversary, will offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films and emerging technologies, according to its website.

“South By Southwest, SXSW, Inc., is a private company based in Austin, Texas, with a year-round staff of professionals dedicated to building and delivering conference and festival events for entertainment and related media industry professionals,” the website reads.

Janna Anderson, associate professor in the School of Communications and director of the Imagining the Internet Center, is scheduled to lead an interactive conference core conversation session titled “Internet Evolution: Hyperconnected, Hyper-real.”

According to Anderson, her session will discuss what might happen in the future when people are more interconnected than they are today.

“We are so tuned into the Internet that we’re in constant

contact with information and with other people,” she said.

Derek Lackaff, faculty member of Elon’s Interactive Media Master’s Program, will be participating in a panel session titled “Rebooting Iceland: Crowdsourcing Innovation in Uncertain Times.”

According to Lackaff, his session will cover the innovative ideas of the Icelandic people as they attempted to solve their economic problems after the recession. His session will primarily focus on the integration of social media into rebooting projects and government.

“The recession hit Iceland hard, and destroyed confidence in politics and business leaders,” he said. “A lot of people have been stepping up and asking, ‘How can we reinvent ourselves?’”

The iMedia program, which is only in its second year of operation, will also be sending the graduate program’s projects coordinator, Brad Berkner, to the conference. Berkner said he will be promoting the iMedia graduate study program at Elon.

“We’re incorporating the Elon community in what we’re doing, and hopefully there will be a discussion panel when we get back,” he said. “We’re creating a site, because we want to be an aggregator of information. There will be a lot of Twitter feeds.”

The iMedia program held

Photo courtesy of sXsW

Elon iMedia students and faculty members will attend the SXSW media conference March 11-15 in Austin, Texas.

a competition for students who wanted to attend the conference and three students were selected based on a professional idea pitch and presentation given in front of iMedia professors.

According to Lackaff, SXSW is the biggest interactive media conference in the world, and the event brings people from the corporate world together. “iMedia thought it was a great opportunity, so we organized a competition to get students to come up with story

ideas,” he said. “They pitched their marketing and social media plans and we selected the strongest presentations.”

Jacquelyn Kozma, an iMedia graduate student selected to attend the conference, said she is looking forward to what the event has to offer.

“We expect to make some contacts and network with the people there,” she said. “We also hope to have a portfolio piece and to see what latest trends in the field are.”

According to Kozma, Austin,

Texas, the location of the SXSW conference, is one of the three main interactive media hubs, along with California and New York. Eight other iMedia students will be joining her at the conference.

“It was great that Elon gave money and grants it will also be a great bonding experience,” she said. “Hopefully they’ll continue to do it and Elon will want to send more students.”

The interactive media segment of conference will be held March 11-15.

Development of school of Second Greek Life health sciences contributes summit redefines, to The Elon Commitment establishes goals Melissa Kansky assistant news editor

Elon University officials are working to develop a school of health sciences to further the Elon strategic plan in terms of academic advancement and engaged learning. The school of health sciences will contain the already existing department of physical therapy and a developing physician’s assistant program.

The new health care bill, which allows millions more to have access to health care, prompted the university to develop a physician’s assistant program and a school of health sciences.

“As a nation, there is a shortage of health care providers,” said Tonya Train, assistant professor of biology.

“And that shortage is going to grow exponentially.”

There is a positive relationship between the job market and professions associated with health science.

A science initiative conducted in 2008 also contributed to the development of the new school. The initiative showed that courses should incorporate science with political science, communications and business, said Steven House, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs.

According to House, the creation of a school of health sciences best achieved the goals derived from the science initiative.

“We started this study in 2008,” he said. “So it was clear that it should roll into the strategic plan.”

The Elon strategic plan names “launching strategic and innovating pathways to undergraduate sciences and graduate education” as its fourth theme.

While the creation of the school of health sciences is a manifestation of the strategic plan, the physician’s assistant program also supports Elon values and emphasis on engaged learning.

According to Eric Hall, associate professor of exercise science, the curriculum includes clinical work, which will force students to transform what they learned in the classroom into practice in the community.

“In some ways, this is the epitome of engaged learning,” Hall said.

House said he believes this clinical experience will foster positive relationships between students and members of the community.

“I think these are hands on people, caring people,” said Barry Beedle, professor of exercise sciences, in regards to the prospective students.

Elon students have provided health assistance to the community during the flu epidemic, have completed clinical rotations in local hospitals and developed a partnership with Alamance Regional Medical Center.

“We think numerous students will take jobs in North Carolina,” he said. “We hope students will want to do their work in underserved areas. We plan on this program having an international component and civic engagement experience.”

House attributes the

relationship with Alamance Regional Medical Center as one of the reasons Elon decided to establish the undergraduate program in Elon as opposed to Elon University’s Greensboro campus.

He said he believes the synergy between the graduate students and the undergraduate students will benefit the university’s undergraduate science programs as well.

House named a mentor program, collaborative research and the increase in available faculty for the advisory board as possible advantages.

“I think it will strengthen the sciences,” Beedle said. “It will be much easier collaboration to occur between students and faculty.”

Train also expressed enthusiasm for the possible interaction between the graduate and undergraduate students.

While Hall acknowledged that the difference in schedules may pose some challenges in terms of collaboration, he said he still sees the creation of the school of health sciences as beneficial for both the already existing physical therapy program and undergraduate students.

According to Hall, physician’s assistant programs and health science programs boast older students who have had experience in the work force and are returning to school.

“Having more graduate students on campus is positive for the life of the institution,” he said. “And having them as role models for people to see what (graduate students) are achieving.”

Eva Hill Copy Chief

Students, chapter advisers and alumni gathered at Elon University for a Greek Life summit that served as an opportunity to discuss goals, challenges and chapter updates. The summit was also an opportunity for student leaders and other members of Greek Life to generate assessment ideas about the Greek community at Elon.

According to Shana Plasters, director of Greek Life, one of the major focuses of the summit, held Feb. 5, was a set of five themes to which each chapter was required to respond. The chapters wrote specific goals for the semester based on academics, leadership, service and philanthropy, personal and chapter accountability and community.

The first and only other Greek Life summit took place in 1994, and it was important to have a second summit, Plasters said.

“It was really good for us to do this again,” she said. “We’ve received positive feedback, and I think that’s the key for us.”

The second summit was an opportunity for chapters to share updates on how they were meeting their goals, which also helped chapters retain good accreditation and standards.

In October, Greek Life invited an assessment team to campus to identify the organization’s strengths and weaknesses as a community.

According to junior Bethany Ely, chapter president of Alpha Xi Delta sorority, the

summit allowed the Greek Life community to review their strengths and weaknesses and to brainstorm action plans to make the organization stronger in the coming years.

Ely was present at the summit and said the event was enlightening.

“I personally felt excited about some of the plans that we created at the summit, but in order for the summit to be successful, these plans will need to actually take shape and be implemented by Elon, the Greek Life office and the Greek organizations themselves,” she said.

According to Rex Waters, associate dean of students, the recent summit, and the discussions held there, was not a final product.

“I’m excited about the potential and the work that was done during the summit,” he said. “It was really engaging to see so many different representatives in our Greek community, and the representatives of the national community.”

According to Waters, the event and the five themes are both short- and long-term goals for the Greek Life community.

“We’re trying to generate ideas and assessment about the Greek community by the end of the semester,” he said. “We hope to have a strategic plan with the direction of where we want to go.”

The summit also included a discussion about the opportunities and challenges to establish parallel efforts with the Greek community and Elon, Waters said.

ThE PEnduluM

nEws

wEdnEsday, FEbruary 16, 2011 // PagE 7

Construction projects reshape Elon’s campus, future Rebecca Smith Managing Editor

When Colonnades opens its doors for students in August 2011, it will be the first of several completed construction projects that will impact student life.

Colonnades Projected Completion: August 1, 2011 The construction on the Colonnades buildings are almost finished. There will be three new dormitory buildings — Colonnades C, D and E. The three new Colonnades dormitories will add 280 beds. Most of these beds are meant for students, but there are two faculty apartments in Colonnades and one apartment for the Area Director.

Demolition and construction of Story Center Projected completion: December 2012 When students return from summer vacation, Story Center will have been demolished.

“Right after Dr. Lambert says ‘Long Live Elon’ at graduation, the construction will start,” said Neil Bromilow, director of planning, design and construction management. “I am thinking it will be about 24 hours after graduation.”

It will take most of the summer just to remove the beds and tear down the current dormitories.

Once all of the new dormitories are built in the former Story and Harper’s Center, there will be 298 new beds.

There will also be a new design aesthetic for these dormitories, and there will be many different living arrangements available.

“I honestly think it will start to look redundant," sophomore Alexa Sykes, said.

“Everyone knows Elon is beautiful; I think Story Center added character. I loved being there my freshman year. It was the authentic college experience.”

Molly Carey | staff Photographer

With the construction of three new Colonnades dormitories, a total of 280 beds will be added to campus. Three other apartments will be available for faculty.

There are double rooms that share a bathroom with the hall, there are double rooms that share a bathroom with a suite, there are single rooms with their own bathrooms and there are single rooms that share bathrooms with other rooms.

“There are multiple housing choices to appeal to different age students,” Bromilow said. “The single rooms and the rooms with their own bathrooms are geared more towards older students and the hall-style rooms are geared toward freshmen.”

Not everyone thinks that these different options will be a good thing for students.

“I think it makes the housing process more confusing for freshmen,” Sykes said. “It was already confusing my freshman year when we had more limited options.”

Demolition and construction of Harper’s Center Projected Completion: July 2014 Harper Center cannot be demolished until the first two dormitories in Story Center have been built.

The new buildings in Story Center and Harper Center will have a variety of rooms including classrooms, faculty housing and rooms for students to hangout in. Some ideas for the student hang out rooms include a theater and eating establishments.

All students will be able to get into the first floor of these buildings because of the common areas and the classrooms, but swipe access will be required to access the upper floors where students reside.

“Story Center and Harper Center were selected for demolition because they are not configured for our style of student living and engagement with an exterior hall and no common area,” Bromilow said.

R and S of Sigma Kappa. The two new organizations will be located in the older halfhouses.

Greek Houses Projected Completion: Spring 2011

Construction will start on a new dining hall in June 2011.

This dining hall will serve as a replacement to Harden, which is getting torn down in the spring of 2012.

This dining hall will be located on the west end of Moseley.

“The new dining hall will branch out of Irazu Coffee,” Bromilow said. “This will have part of campus closed, the lake side of campus, so basically Staley through the Greek courts will be closed off to students during construction.”

The new Greek houses in Loy Commons have consistently been ahead of schedule, and will be finished before the end of the semester. Students will move into them next fall.

Sigma Kappa will be moving into the new Greek house, Q, NPHC will be moving into the two new half-houses, Sigma Phi Epsilon will be in the new Greek house N and Delta Delta Delta and Lambda Chi Alpha will be in the new Greek houses

New Dining Hall Projected Completion: December 2012

New disciplinary problems at Belk Library Caitlin O'Donnell news Editor

After a number of years with few incidents, Belk Library has recently dealt with students refusing to leave the library on the weekend at the official closing time.

While Kate Hickey, dean of Belk Library, said she cannot discuss the specifics of an incident, she said it is the first time it has happened. At this point, the library staff is unclear as to whether the same student was involved repeatedly or if separate students were involved.

Though the library is open for 24 hours on weeknights, weekend hours are more limited and students are expected to clear the building at the designated times. When students are unwilling, as in the case of recent incidents, Hickey said the response from library staff depends on the situation.

“If it was a student who was just sitting there hoping we would go away and weren’t really closing, we would nag them to death,” she said. “If we actually found a student or anyone hiding after hours,

we would question them. If it appeared they were being malicious, that would be an honor code violation.”

In the case of a student refusing to leave, security would be called and it would become more than an honor code violation, according to Hickey.

Eight years ago, the library transitioned to its current schedule of opening 24 hours, five days a week after a student request from SGA. “At the time, there really wasn’t any other quiet place on campus that students could use to study,” Hickey said.

“The (Instructional Technology staff) had tried 24-hour labs in various places staffed by student workers, which was less than satisfactory and not very safe.”

It was decided that the first floor of the library would become the 24-hour computer lab and study space. Though wildly popular when first available, Hickey said the student response has since leveled off.

“Students now have other options,” she said. “The newer dorms have better study

Photo illustration by Julia sayers | staff Photographer

On repeated occasions, students have attempted to spend the night in Belk Library after hours on the weekend.

spaces and Lindner Hall and Communications students have (constant) access to their building.”

It is rare that library staff must address any disciplinary problems, Hickey said. With a security system on the majority of materials, Hickey said 95 percent of the time when an

alarm goes off, it’s a mistake or the book was not checked out correctly.

“I personally don’t like a lot of rules because then you have to enforce them,” she said. “We feel very fortunate that we don’t have a bunch of rules and those that we do have, students for the most part respect them and

we try to be flexible.”

The biggest issue tends to be noise traveling through the balconies to other floors.

“That doesn’t happen daily or even weekly,” Hickey said. “It just happens occasionally and it’s more thoughtlessness or not realizing that the study rooms aren’t soundproof.”

news

Page 8 // wednesday, February 16, 2011

The Pendulum

Student forum about Egyptian protests becomes celebratory following Mubarak’s resignation Natalie Allison senior reporter

As millions in Egypt and around the world rejoiced over Hosni Mubarak’s resignation, the Global Day of Action on Feb. 12 was planned in honor of the protests served as a forum for celebration.

Initiated by Amnesty International, a nongovernmental organization that campaigns for human rights, the Global Day of Action was intended to mark a day of public demonstrations held around the world in response to Mubarak’s regime.

Several Elon students recognizing the day hosted a public discussion last Saturday that brought about 30 individuals to West Lawn, the area beside Moseley Center, to discuss the issues that were facing Egypt at the time.

Posters were hung around the area that displayed messages of support for democracy in the Middle East, encouraging students to stand with Egypt “In Solidarity. In Defiance.”

The event, planned by senior Sheehan Kane and juniors Shanna Van Beek, Maggie Castor and Jess McDonald, was held as a “great opportunity to inform people about the Middle East and to bring about dialogue among students,” according to Kane. “There has definitely been a lot of interest, but also confusion as to what is actually going on.”

The event, which took the form of a discussion, was opened by freshman Ala

Brian allenBy | Staff Photographer

Freshman Ala Eddine Maaraf, originally from Tunisia, opened the discussion forum about Egypt Saturday, Feb. 12.

Eddine Maaref, a student from Tunisia. Maaref talked about the protests in his home country that led to the resignation of President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, who had been in office for 23 years.

Shereen Elgamal, assistant professor of Arabic at Elon and native Egyptian, also spoke to those in attendance, describing her excitement for the people of Egypt.

“I think yesterday was maybe the best day of my whole entire life,” Elgamal said.

Elgamal is a practicing

Muslim and is “very proud to be that way,” she said. “Egypt is generally not a very religious society. The recent movement, however, involved everyone, including both religious and secular populations.”

Elgamel said citizens need to learn how to coexist.

Kane, who studied abroad at The American University in Cairo during spring and fall 2010, and Van Beek, who studied there in fall 2010, spoke about their experiences in Egypt and their observations of the Egyptian government at the time.

Despite elections being held regularly in Egypt, Kane said they were not indicative of freedom. “(Egypt) was a country that was just pretending to be a democracy,” she said.

Kane shared accounts of her Egyptian friends’ voting experiences under a previously corrupt government.

One friend, she said, had witnessed a man get shot while coming out of the voting station. The man had voted for the Muslim Brotherhood, she said, the largest Islamic political group, instead of Mubarak and the

National Democratic Party.

According to Elgamal, the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamic population in Egypt are not seeking to infiltrate the government with their religion. “I’ve never heard them say they want an Islamic state,” Elgamal said. “We want representation.”

Kane and Van Beek spoke of the Egyptian people’s previous inability to resist most government interference and how the Web played an influential role in the recent protests. “I find the whole social media thing to be incredible in all of this,” Kane said.

David Reed, an activist from Greensboro who spent four months on the Palestinian West Bank in 2004, also spoke at the event.

Citing that 30 percent of “the broader Middle Eastern population” are between the ages of 15 and 29, Reed spoke of a pluralistic democracy that was developing in their generation.

Reed said events like this are important on college campuses, as Americans are now identifying with Arabs in a new way.

The event was not sponsored by a particular on-campus organization and Kane, Castor and McDonald said they were all uncertain about whether more public discussions would be organized in the future.

“We’re all just very happy Mubarak stepped down. It’s a pretty big deal,” Kane said.

“What we really want to see is who’s next.”

Q&A with Elon student about her time in Egypt Rachel Southmayd Opinions editor

Rachael Borowy, a sophomore from North Carolina, was one of six Elon students studying at the American University in Cairo when political unrest sparked violent protests a few weeks ago.

After days of uncertainty, she managed to get on an evacuation flight to Istanbul, Turkey, and is now waiting for the semester to begin at Haifa University in Israel.

Q: What was it like being in Egypt as the protests were beginning?

A: When the demonstrations were first beginning in Egypt, we felt pretty far removed from what was happening. Cairo is a huge city and at the start of the demonstrations people were gathered in very specific pockets of Cairo.

We would occasionally see people gathering and walking to protests, but we were advised against going to those parts of the city. And once the protests had begun in earnest, we had actually left Cairo with our Egyptian orientation leader and gone to a beach about an hour away (not due to the protests; we wanted to get there before classes were due to start).

There, we were closer to the protests in Suez than Cairo.

Q. How do you feel Elon handled your situation?

A. Elon, I’m sure, was worried about our safety; however, it was not Elon who contacted the American University in Cairo’s New York office to find out where we were, nor was it Elon who began to research what would happen to us should we be forced to leave, nor did Elon look into

what our options for study abroad (would be) if we left.

That responsibility was assumed almost solely by our parents. While Elon was sending us e-mails about legal and financial issues, e-mails we wouldn’t receive until days after we had left Egypt because Internet had been shut down, our parents were contacting Haifa University in Israel to see if we would be able to transfer our enrollment.

It was only after a conference call between our parents, Elon and Haifa that everyone was on the same general page.

So while I understand Elon has legal and other administrative issues to worry about, we did get the impression that those issues may have held too much importance to Elon when, for what they knew, we could have been in the middle of riots fleeing for our lives.

Q. Did you feel safe in Egypt before?

Do you feel safe in Israel now?

A. We never felt unsafe while we were in Egypt. In fact, I would have stayed on the AUC program had Elon not pulled all financial and academic support from us and I believe some of my other classmates on the trip would have as well.

Obviously there were dangers, and there is always a chance something will go wrong, but there was still a greater threat of one of us getting hit by a car while crossing the street than being in any protesting-related danger.

Our final few days in the city, we did see a lot of increased activity from both the military and civilians, including quite a few military checkpoints and large groups of people passing to walk towards demonstrations. Even then, we did not feel that we were in danger.

Photo courteSy of rachael Borowy

From Left to Right: Jon Ordog, Daniel Baquet, Dakota Keith, Rachael Borowy and Kate Donovan.

The day we were flown out of Cairo to Istanbul, we heard about plans to storm the Presidential Palace, and the next day we were glad that we had left when we did because there was no guarantee that school would be starting or that we would be able to leave if it didn’t, but it was still not fear of being involved in violence that motivated our actions.

Now in Israel, we are totally safe.

We were all a bit amused when we learned that Israel was the safer alternative, and I think our parents were a bit concerned because of the way the media portrays Israel, but so far there has been nothing at all to worry about. Where we are, in Haifa, is in the north of Israel and while there has been violence here in the past, now this city is a pretty quiet place.

Q. Why do you think the world is watching the Egypt situation so closely?

A. I think the world is watching Egypt so closely because they are seeing the effect that one nation can have on another. Egypt was not the pebble that began the ripple effect, it was the efforts in Tunisia that sparked many Egyptians’ motivation for change.

Now, especially because of the Egyptian protestors’ success, the world is waiting to see if Algeria or Yemen will be heading down the same path. In addition, I believe certain American news media outlets are playing on the fears of some American people in order to create a response.

THE PENDULUM

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2011 // PAGE 9

NEWS

Facebook, Twitter serve as tools in times of conflict Kassondra Cloos News Editor

Before the Egyptian government cut all Internet access during the protests in opposition of former president Hosni Mubarak, social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter served as tools to spread the message and rally support.

According to Glenn Scott, associate professor in the School of Communications, the Egyptian government was unable to control the use of social media. Turning off the Internet was the only feasible solution to cut communication.

“Egypt essentially said, ‘We know we can’t stop social networking unless we stop the Internet, so we’re just going to stop the whole thing,’” Scott said. “No country has ever taken such a bold move and, clearly, they can’t stop it forever. They can’t leave the Internet down forever. In the modern, global world, it’s too important for commerce. That was a real desperate act.”

Rasha Abdulla, associate professor and chair of journalism and mass communication at the American University in Cairo, was in the city during the protests and e-mailed the listserv for the Association of Internet Researchers about the use of social media to promote the protests.

“I can tell you this has been, to a very large extent, an Internet-based revolution,”

she wrote. “Even the illiterate classes who are down on Tahrir Square say this was started ‘by the youth of Facebook’ and I do agree with them.”

Laura Roselle, a political science professor, said she is fascinated by the use of social media as a tool for the protests. She said the protests were not spontaneous but had been planned in advance.

“This was a unique opportunity to use social media to try to mobilize people after Tunisia, sort of like a match to a keg of dynamite,” she said.

Roselle said Wael Ghonim, a Google executive from Egypt cited as one of the leaders of the uprisings, has coined the name “Revolution 2.0.”

“The Google executive (Ghonim), who was arrested and released, he does say it was sort of planned,” Roselle said. “There was a group of people who planned how to use social media to get people out to protest against the government in Egypt.”

Scott said the people who led the riots are not the people one would expect to be at the center of protests.

They’re not long-time established popular figures who had been standing up to the Egyptian authorities, he said. Many of the protest’s leaders were very young and more experienced with social media than their government officials, he said.

“Messages on Facebook and Twitter are more effective

LUKE LOVETT | GRAPHICS EDITOR

because of the difficulty in controlling them, the decentralized nature of how the information spreads,” Scott said. “The fact that many of the young people are more expert at using these sites than people in power allows them to make more expert use of it. But by itself, a message on a screen doesn’t start a revolution. The moment has to be ready for it, and in this case, it was.”

Even in the first days of the protests, Abdulla also credited Egypt’s younger population

with the inspiration for the opposition movement.

“The youth of Facebook, who have revived this great country,” she wrote, “are hanging tight in Tahrir Square, together with hundreds of thousands, at times millions, of people who have joined them, many of them not even Internet users.”

Though Facebook and Twitter were previously considered simply social, Scott said the success of the recent riots in Egypt as well as those in Tunisia, which

resulted in the ousting of President Ben Ali, have made the sites into tools which should be taken seriously. “(Facebook is) not a benign network for linking friends (anymore),” Scott said. “We’ve been recognizing this, that it’s a way to reach people for many different purposes, not just simply for making friends or preparing people for high school reunions or even not only for selling products.

It provides a capability for political movements, for subversive activity, as well.”

Peer-to-peer program reconnects First undergraduate research young alumni to Elon University, journal to be released in October recognizes accomplishments Rebecca Smith Managing Editor

After students graduate from Elon University, their connection with the school is not over. Top 10 Under 10 is a new program that aims to enrich the relationship between the university and young alumni, who make up 41 percent of all Elon alumni.

The Young Alumni Council, which advises the Alumni Association and university on programs for young alumni and current students, created Top 10 Under 10 as a peer recognition program.

Faculty, staff, students and alumni are eligible to nominate any alumnae who has graduated from Elon within the last 10 years.

Nominations were accepted until Jan. 31.

The award will be presented to young alumni who do outstanding things in their personal lives and their community, or to those who have stayed heavily connected to the university. Award recipients will be recognized at a dinner during this spring’s Young Alumni Council meeting April 2.

“We want alumni to maintain the love for Elon they had as a student here,” said Britten Pund, a member of the Young Alumni Council who is heading the program. “Often times, alumni graduate and get so busy with jobs and life after college that Elon is no longer in the forefront of their lives. An awards program such as this helps show the awardees and other alumni that Elon truly cares about them and helps remind them why Elon is a place to care about, too.”

The final set of recipients will be announced toward the end of February.

A committee that

includes Sallie Hutton, director of alumni relations, Kiley Moorefield, coordinator of young alumni programs and members of the Young Alumni Council, will make the final decision.

“We are still in the process of planning what the award will be,” Moorefield said. “But the awardees will be invited to attend the annual spring meeting, to return to Elon University.”

The Young Alumni Council hopes that recognition from the university will continue to remind people of how they felt when they were at Elon, when they were encouraged to succeed in their academic work and community service.

“There has been a pretty diverse group of nominators,” Moorefield said. “There has been a mix of nominations from faculty, staff and older alumni, which is great because it diversifies the individuals mentioned. For example, older alumni might know more about people who have found career success, while professors will know who has stayed really involved with the university.”

There is possibility for change after the council evaluates the inaugural year, but the program will continue.

“This is the inaugural year of Top 10 Under 10,” Pund said.

“However, the Young Alumni Council intends to continue to grow this program and recognize young alumni for their contributions on an annual basis. As the young alumni base continues to grow, it will be increasingly important for Elon and the Young Alumni Council to recognize the efforts of young alumni and to encourage young alumni to stay active and engaged in the larger society, as well as at Elon.”

Becca Tynes Senior Reporter

The first issue of an undergraduate research journal at Elon University titled “Perspectives on Undergraduate Research and Mentoring,” or PURM, will be released in October 2011.

“The journal will include students’ discussions regarding their research, challenges they may have faced and how mentoring works,” said Rebecca Pope-Ruark assistant professor of English and managing editor of PURM. “It will be a journal about the process of undergraduate research and how it’s done.”

The first goal included in the journal’s mission statement is “to create a home for scholarly contributions to the process of literature in undergraduate research and mentoring.”

“We saw that there wasn’t a lot of discussion about the process of undergraduate research,” said Victoria Doose, Elon junior and managing editor of PURM. “There are countless numbers of journals that include research, but there aren’t too many that include information about how and why it is performed.”

The second purpose of the journal, according to its mission statement, is to provide a space for the

voices of undergraduate research and mentoring in order to share experiences and develop professionally.

“We’re really inviting authorship from anyone involved in undergraduate research programming,” Pope-Ruark said.

According to associate professor of psychology Mat Gendle, also editorin-chief of PURM, the journal will be open to students, mentors and professors at universities all accross the country.

“We are branching out and sending out our information to a wide variety of schools in the United States,” Doose said. “We’re definitely interested in receiving submissions from Elon students and faculty.

We’d love to see that participation in the journal. The more the better.”

The third goal included in the mission statement is “to continue to build a sense of community among those involved in undergraduate research and mentoring.”

According to PopeRuark, the staff’s hope is that students, professors and mentors at different universities will work together to produce work for the journal.

“We’re trying to be very deliberate in keeping it an open-access journal,” Gendle said.

He said it is important that faculty members

come to understand the importance of research.

Doose said Elon is very interested in seeing further development of undergraduate research.

The university’s strategic plan includes the creation of an undergraduate research journal at Elon, according to Gendle.

“We then came up with the idea to create a journal about the undergraduate research process,” Gendle said.

Pope-Ruark said the journal will give students the opportunity to think about and reflect on the undergraduate research process.

According to Gendle, undergraduate research is the most important characteristic of a graduate applicant.

“Research is crucial at an undergraduate level because it helps you frame questions and create habits that will help you figure out how to answer these questions,” Pope-Ruark said.

Doose said research at the undergraduate level is beneficial for the person doing the research, as well as for those reading the end product.

“Research helps you learn to ask questions and develop appropriate ways to answer (them),” Gendle said. “It helps you develop important critical thinking and process skills.”

PAGE 10 // WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2011

THE PENDULUM

Soldier shares experiences, defends Israel’s military actions Nicholas Zanetti Reporter

An Israeli soldier shared his experiences in the Israeli army with Elon University students Feb. 13.

Benjamin Anthony, a reserve sergeant in the Israel Defense Forces, said he has been touring college campuses nationwide, hoping to dispel what he and his organizations view as inaccuracies in the mass media portrayal of the Israeli army.

Anthony founded an organization called “Our Soldiers Speak.”

His organization “works to separate fact from sensationalism, to distinguish between perception and reality and to compare the media headlines to the truth,” as stated on his organization’s website.

He recounted harrowing stories of his time serving as a combat soldier in conflicts in the West Bank and told stories of Israeli soldiers who are faced with extremely difficult combat situations at a young age.

Like many armies, the IDF has soldiers who are as young as 18 years old.

The last 10 years have seen violent confrontations in the West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon.

Although the Israeli army has been the subject of controversy in the mainstream media, Anthony described the Israeli motivation for armed interventions as strictly

NEWS BRIEFS Elon’s fifth POWERless competition kicked off Tuesday Elon’s fifth POWERless competition started Tuesday at College Coffee and will involve students living in more than 40 residence halls on campus.

Students will compete to reduce their buildings’ total energy usage and prizes will be won by area.

Students who commit to specific energy-saving actions will be entered to win one of two bicycles or one of two Phoenix cash prizes.

The POWERless competition ends March 15. Students can monitor their buildings’ progress after the first week of the contest through the building dashboard, www.buildingdashboard.net/elon/.

Elon to host 15th annual jazz festival

PHOTO COURTESY OF ISRAELPHOTOS.NET

Israeli soldier Benjamin Anthony shared his army experiences as a combat soldier with Elon students Feb. 13.

defensive.

“We fight not out of a desire to wage war,” Anthony said. “We have no other choice.”

Soldiers in the IDF are not motivated by religious ideology, political fervor or political identification, but merely by a basic human desire to survive, he said.

According to Anthony, this motivation lies in contrast with those of Israel’s enemies, who he believes use religion to justify political and military actions.

Anthony said that while terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah

fire rockets on Israeli settlements, the Israeli army is one of the most humane fighting forces in the world, protecting the lives and well-being of Palestinian and Arab civilians in war zones. Anthony said that every combat operation of the IDF is carried out in a professional and calculated manner.

Anthony called the existence of Israel as a state and home for the Jewish people important, citing the long history of anti-Semitism in Europe and in all places of Jewish Diaspora. Anthony also spoke of the historical

connection that Jews have with Israel.

“We have no other place to go,” he said. “We can no longer afford to be at the mercy of other nations.”

Israel has a strong desire for peace, but a peace that is meaningful and lasting will take time, Anthony said.

Anthony stressed the importance of the United States to Israel, which he said was Israel’s most important ally in the world.

He encouraged Americans to be fair and objective when analyzing news from the continuing conflict.

Calendar: Feb. 16-Feb. 22 FEB. 16

FEB. 17

FEB. 18

FEB. 20 * Phoenix Phind 2011

FEB. 21 * Nothing but Nets 3 on 3

FEB. 22 * College Coffee, 9:40 a.m.,

* Tips for getting the job you want, 7 p.m. in KOBC 101 * Careers for the Common Good, 6:00 p.m., Moseley 103 * Wednesday night Catholic Mass, 7:30 p.m., Holt Chapel

* Sunday Worship: Ecumenical Protestant Service, 10:30 a.m., Holt Chapel

* Celebrate February birthdays at all dining halls, 7 p.m. * From Facebook to Resume: Using Social Networking Tools, 4:15 p.m., McCoy Commons

basketball tournament, 4 p.m., Jordan Gym * Rebecca Solnit, “A Paradise Built in Hellt,” 7:30 p.m., Whitley Auditorium

* Open casting call for new Elon University admissions video, 2 p.m., Moseley 215 * SUB presents Preston Pugmire, 8 p.m., the Zone * Phoenix Phind 2011

Phi Beta Kappa Commons * “Business Ethics in the Real World - A Cautionary Tale,” 4:30 p.m., LaRose Digital Theatre

FEB. 19

* Evolution of Gospel music, 4 p.m., Whitley Auditorium * Jazz Festival Concert, 7:30 p.m., McCrary Theatre * SUB Cinema presents “Due Date”, 8 p.m., the Zone

For more dates and information about campus events, visit the calendar on the Elon website.

Do you ever dream about being Edward R. Murrow?

You can be!

WSOE’s news staff is looking for reporters to contribute to a one-hour news show, as well as help record daily news briefs.

Contact WSOE News Director Jack Dodson at jdodson4@elon.edu for more information.

Elon will host a jazz festival on campus this week for hundreds of student musicians from North Carolina and Virginia high schools.

Students will participate in workshops and performances and will have opportunities to work with top jazz clinicians.

About 400 students are expected to participate in the event and festivities will culminate with a free concert open to the public Saturday night.

The festival is sponsored by the Elon University Department of Music and this year’s guests include Swedish pianist Per Danielsson and trombonist Tom Brantley.

Elon study abroad program at American University in Cairo suspended for fall semester Following the recent turmoil in Egypt, Elon University has suspended its affiliate program at the American University in Cairo. Students still wishing to study abroad at AUC would not be able to apply Elon scholarships or financial aid to tuition costs.

“We’re hopeful spring becomes an option,” said Paul Geis, assistant director of affiliations and exchanges at the Isabella Cannon Centre. “We won’t know until after the election (in September).”

Julianne Malveaux to speak at Elon School of Law The Elon University School of Law will host Julianne Malveaux, president of Bennet College for Women, during its fourth annual Diversity Day Feb. 26.

Malveaux is the president of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs. She is an accomplished author and editor, has both appeared on and hosted several television and radio shows and has held positions in many organizations, including political, women’s, civil rights and policy.

Diversity Day is targeted toward minority students but is free to the public and open to anyone considering law school.

SGA amendments The Student Government Association at Elon University has proposed several amendments to its constitution for students to vote on when electing new officials Feb. 22 and 23.

Full text of the proposed amendments can be viewed at http://bit.ly/SGAamend.

At the weekly SGA meeting Feb. 11, the Senate also discussed and evaluated the Greek Life Summit.

According to SGA Executive President Taylor Martin, collectively members of Greek Life have a higher gpa than that of unaffiliated students.

Nevertheless, the summit said that this is not the case during the pledge period.

SGA will release a more elaborate report of the Greek Life summit next week.

At the meeting Nick Livengood introduced the Student Alumni Council, which will form a relationship between the students and the alumni and a lifelong connection between the students and the university.

Did we miss something?

Let us know. E-mail us at pendulum@elon.edu

The Pendulum

WednesdAY, FebruArY 16, 2011 // PAge 11

Editorial Crises abroad demand attention from administration When the protests in Egypt erupted last month, what was the first thing that entered your mind? Perhaps it was how many lives would be lost in pursuit of a new government or what this meant for the Middle East as a region.

For the six students studying abroad at the American University in Cairo at the time of the first public demonstrations, their main concern was whether they would be able to safely complete their semester abroad.

Much planning and consideration goes into a student’s final decision regarding a study abroad destination. Some use their experiences in a region as a time for researching a specific topic for a Lumen project or an independent study.

Others just have a particular interest or connection to the area they wish to explore in more depth.

Whatever the impetus behind a student’s final decision prior to a trip, the destination holds great significance for the student.

Though Rachel Borowy, one of the six abroad, has stated the students felt far removed from the conflict and safe,

Elon gave them no option but to leave the country and begin a new semester elsewhere.

Although the students did express interest in staying in Cairo, they would have continued their studies as nonstudents, without financial or academic support from Elon, had they chosen to stay and not leave the country for Haifa University in Israel.

Elon did not attempt to salvage any of the work students had executed and essentially pushed them into one option: board a plane to Istanbul, rather than taking into consideration the serious time and money the students had invested in the trip up to that point.

While the safety and security of Elon students were arguably at the forefront of the administration’s mind at a time when the future of the nation was uncertain, more serious discussions should have taken place about other valid options for their transition.

As Elon continues to push for 100 percent involvement in study abroad programs, sincere consideration must be given to the university’s response to

security issues overseas. With more than 30 study abroad locations around the world, the Isabella Cannon International Centre has a responsibility to not only place students in programs that fit them well, but also to monitor them during the entirety of their stay.

Egypt is not the only nation where unrest or security issues could potentially pose problems to student safety. Political unrest is a possibility in any country and Elon should take prompt, complete actions to formulate a detailed plan when threats to student safety, such as the protests in Egypt, arise.

Elon University students should not be left in limbo as their parents frantically try to find out the future of their studies, as Borowy noted was the case in her situation. They should feel safe, whether they are studying in Belk Library or halfway across the world on a foreign campus. They are still students of this institution, paying tuition to the university, and they have a right to swift action on their behalf, no matter the situation.

Gritting teeth, plugging ears and embracing the future It has begun. Last week, the quiet whoosh of cars on North Williamson Avenue was interrupted by the crushing of brick and the smashing of glass as a demolition crew took down the old bank building and Pendulum office space. In just a few weeks, a foundation will be dug, steel beams will go up and the first step to building the new Elon will be taken.

As announced last Friday, this isn’t the only project we can look forward to in the next few weeks, months and even years. This new construction boom is going to be a hassle, without a doubt. It will be loud from early in the morning until late in the afternoon. Normal routes to classes, dorms and ever-important sources of food will have to be altered.

It may become all but impossible to navigate to Rhodes Stadium or to the Harper Center while the Moseley expansion and the first part of the Global Neighborhood take shape. The quiet of the Pavilion will be overcome

by the creation of a multifaith center.

Colonnades will have to adjust to the addition of 300 more mouths to feed right outside its doors, and the student body will have to adapt to a new bookstore location, removed from central campus.

Freshmen who enter Elon this fall will not know what it’s like to go to a school where the landscape isn’t dotted by chain-link fences and Caterpillar construction vehicles. They will not know what it’s like to quietly relax on the “beach” of Lake Mary Nell, and they will not know what it’s like to sit on the patio

by Acorn or stand in a bookstore line that fills the entire crowded store.

The Elon of the next few years will be very different indeed. It will be louder, messier and busier than ever. But attending a university is like joining a sports team. There are games to play, practices to attend and an entire community looking for your participation, and the team of Elon isn’t limited to a student’s four years. It

reaches back to 1889 and will continue for who knows how long.

We are but a blip on the radar screen of Elon’s history and development. No matter the personal annoyances these new projects will bring, it is important to recognize that we are privy to an amazing show: the opening act for the next phase of our school. We are witnesses to history.

At the same time, the administration must remember that this is our home.

Excessive inconveniences can take a major toll on student morale and school spirit. A campus that looks like a mudhold can also deter prospective students.

No matter what the state or stage of these new projects, Elon’s inner charm will persist. It’s just being given a new coat of paint, and while that new coat may seem loud and difficult to swallow, we will all be able to come back in 10 or 20 years and say “I saw that happen. I watched history begin.”

lETTEr To ThE EdiTor: Where is Smith Jackson?

I could not agree more with The Pendulum's editorial on the lack of security e-mails. Every day while at Elon last year, I would sit and wait for Smith Jackson e-mails. Not only to read about the “bator,” but to see what was going on around campus. Whether it was a student getting sick from too much drinking or a student getting hit with an egg, I liked knowing that I would be informed about what was going on. Security is one of the many reasons why Elon is such an appealing university. I hope The Pendulum's editorial hits home with Smith Jackson and the e-mails return to our inboxes.

Greg Krzysiak Class of 2013 LIBBY MCGuIRE | Cartoonist

MORE ONLINE: OPINIONS

Caitlin O'Donnell is learning about managing commitments. Follow her resolution journey and those of five other Pendulum staff members at:

www.pendulumresolutions.wordpress.com Can't get enough Opinions writing? Read more about Elon and the world beyond at:

www.pendulumopinions.wordpress.com

There's always more to read on The Pendulum website. Click on the Opinions tab for more columns and editorials. Read Brittany Washington's take on why Americans don't travel.

To commEnT …

We appreciate original responses to Pendulum articles. Feedback of 500 words or less can be sent in several ways. letters to the editor and columns can be e-mailed to pendulum@elon.edu or sent to 7012 Campus box, elon, n.C. 27244 Content will be edited for clarity, length and accuracy. All submissions must include a name and phone number.

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EdiTor-in-chiEf Anna Johnson mAnAGinG EdiTor Rebecca Smith AdvisEr Colin Donohue sEcTion EdiTors Caitlin O’Donnell News Editor Kassondra Cloos News Editor Melissa Kansky Assistant News Editor Rachel Southmayd Opinions Editor Bonnie Efird Features Editor Lauren Ramsdell Arts and Entertainment Editor Jack Rodenfels Sports Editor Conor O’Neill Assistant Sports Editor sEnior rEporTErs Natalie Allison Sarah Carideo Sam Parker Becca Tynes copy Eva Hill Copy Chief Ashley Fahey Copy Editor Rebecca Iannucci Copy Editor Lindsay Kimble Copy Editor Edith Veremu Copy Editor Madelyn Smith Copy Editor Kate Riley Copy Intern phoTo dEsk Heather Cassano Photo Editor Brian Allenby Staff Photographer Molly Carey Staff Photographer Merissa Blitz Staff Photographer Tracy Raetz Staff Photographer Julia Sayers Staff Photographer dEsiGn Gabriela Szewcow Design Chief Marlena Chertock Design Editor Libby McGuire Design Editor Luke Lovett Graphics Editor Mark Capozzola Graphics Editor Kyra Gemberling Design Intern onlinE Jeff Stern Online Editor-in-Chief Jack Dodson Multimedia Editor Zachary Horner Multimedia Editor Laura Van Drie Multimedia Intern Christine Williams Multimedia Intern BusinEss E.J. Young Business Manager Natalie Simonds Assistant Business Manager

Page 12 // wednesday, february 16, 2011

The Pendulum

Opinions Breaking out of comfort zones: Chick-fil-A backs anti-gay Americans should travel more groups in Pennsylvania Only 30 percent have passports, those that do not limit themselves through isolationism Of the more than 308 million citizens living in the United States, only 30 percent have passports, according to the Office Ashley Fahey of Travel Columnist and Tourism Industries.

Considering that the U.S. is one of the world’s most affluent countries, this is both shocking and a little disappointing. Many U.S. citizens have the financial means and opportunities to go abroad and see the world, but do not take advantage of it.

“Americans are comfortable in their own environment,” said Bruce Bommarito, executive vice president and chief operating officer for the U.S. Travel Association, in a recent CNN. com article. “We’re a big country, and we have a culture of traveling within the United States.”

Perhaps this is because there is a large span of geographic diversity in the United States, including white sandy beaches, mountain ranges, agrarian plains and bustling metropolises.

There is also a sense that we already experience internationalism within the United States, particularly in urban regions. In Manhattan, for instance, there are neighborhoods that specifically feature an authentic foreign culture, like Little Italy, Spanish Harlem and Chinatown. But visiting these ethnic neighborhoods won’t give a thorough sense of the culture; only traveling abroad can accomplish that goal.

Many Americans, because of stereotypes emitted by the media and

by other sources, have perceptions about other countries that make them skeptical or afraid to travel there.

A documentary that focuses on the slums of India might make some Americans assume that all parts of India are just like that, and will therefore choose Florida or Alaska as alternative travel destinations.

But xenophobic stereotypes cannot be torn down until a person experiences a different country’s culture and way of life in person. This will most likely contradict popular ideas about the country, or give meaning as to why those stereotypes are in place.

Traveling is absolutely necessary to break down these stereotypes instead of simply assuming or being afraid to go out and explore.

There is good reason to be cautious when traveling internationally, but by no means should it hinder a person from receiving a genuine global education.

Here at Elon, the university emphasizes being internationally connected. All freshmen students are required to take The Global Experience, a semester-long class that focuses on international culture, politics, language and current events.

Studying abroad is one of the five experiential learning requirements, and Elon hopes to one day achieve 100 percent study abroad. Clearly, Elon feels it is important for its students to have an international education, and part of The Elon Commitment is for its students to become “global citizens.”

It’s imperative that we fulfill this objective by seizing the opportunities presented to us, because learning about the world and its cultures here in our “bubble” can only go so far.

Applying that education through traveling is the only way this goal of global citizenship can be fully realized.

Every Sunday morning, a collective groan can be heard on campuses across the country as students wake up hungry Dawn Joyce only to Columnist remember that Chickfil-A is closed.

According to Chick-fil-A’s website, the company wants to ensure “every Chick-fil-A employee and restaurant operator has the opportunity to worship, spend time with family and friends or just plain rest from work.”

But with Chick-fil-A’s recent actions, students may have a new reason to eat elsewhere on Sundays.

Recently, the food chain donated free lunches to the Pennsylvania Family Group, an organization hosting The Art of Marriage, a series of anti-gay marriage conferences being held next month. Gay rights groups instantly began blasting the restaurant with petitions. Facebook users have dutifully organized online groups against the company on college campuses. Indiana University South Bend was even able to run Chickfil-A off their campus.

Christian culture influences many aspects of Chick-fil-A’s operations, from its corporate purpose, which includes “to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us," to its policy of closing on Sundays and praying at restaurant openings.

Chick-fil-A is a privately owned company. Owners have the right to support any cause. Still, other businesses have not fared well

after making similar decisions.

Last year, Target donated around $150,000 to back a Minnesotan Republican candidate for governor who opposes same sex marriage.

The company received backlash as gay rights groups encouraged consumers to boycott Target.

In the ’90s, the president and founder of Domino’s Pizza donated $50,000 to Michigan's Right to Life’s Committee to End TaxFunded Abortions. This prompted pizza lovers nationwide to take their business elsewhere. These companies took controversial stances that inevitably hurt their image.

Chick-fil-A may be heading for a similar fate. The restaurant was started in the Bible Belt where it grew accustomed to loyal patrons and positive press coverage. It has only begun moving beyond the deep South in the last decade or so.

The negative reactions from customers in the northeast have come as a surprise to the company.

It triggered the current president to release a short Facebook video defending the company. In it, the president explains, “Providing sandwiches and brownies for a local seminar is not an endorsement or a political stance.” He also adds that marriage has long been a focus of Chick-fil-A, which his father started in 1967.

After checking out the website of the organization hosting these marriage conferences, it appears the main goal is to help couples work through issues in their own marriage. But the organization has a long history of anti-gay actions that cannot be overlooked.

So next time you find yourself craving Chick-fil-A, ask yourself if it tastes good enough to justify support for Pennsylvania’s most prominent anti-equality group.

What’s more important: Chick-fil-A’s food or its message?

Too much on our plates?

mark capozzola | Graphics Editor

The new semester has started and with that comes a new work load. Syllabi have been received and with them, a brand new to-do list Megan Murray Columnist has been formed, never-ending in its length.

Research papers, case studies, group projects and presentations are scattered throughout planners, alongside tests and quizzes, all of which could come from a single class. What are students to do when there are three or more other classes with similar work expectations?

Students at Elon also do more than just class. Trying to schedule homework, organization meetings, club activities and a job can get hectic. Sometimes, it seems that teachers forget about these other commitments in addition to classwork.

On the other hand, it is our responsibility as students to get the work done. Class syllabi are not only meant to introduce students to a particular course, but also to map

out the upcoming semester’s tests, papers and projects.

By giving this information in advance, it falls on the students to manage their time wisely and to not wait until the last minute when all the papers and tests build up. Time management and careful planning are extremely important in a college environment.

Freshman Tyler Johnson said that his workload is difficult but manageable. He doesn’t understand, though, why Elon encourages joining clubs and extracurricular activities when we also have heavy workloads.

“We can’t do it all,” Johnson said.

Raven Manigault, a sophomore who is part of multiple campus organizations and teams, feels the same way.

“Being a psychology major is difficult because there’s such a demand in the field,” he said.

“The workload is heavy from the beginning of the semester and gets progressively worse, leaving majors with little to no free time.”

What can students do to make it through a work-heavy semester and still be active members in their organizations? Time management and maintaining an organized schedule are the best ways to make sure there is enough time to complete work and extracurricular activities.

The Pendulum

wednesday, february 16, 2011 // Page 13

Style

MORE ONLINE: STYLE Video: Take a look behind the scenes of RENT. http://bit.ly/TPOrent Jeff Stern, Online Editor-in-Chief

‘Rent’ heads rejoice Rachel Southmayd reviewer

When the opening musical number of Jonathan Larson’s “Rent” kicked off on the McCrary stage, electricity shot through the actors and crowd alike. The ensemble filled the stage and a wonderfully energetic show took shape, keeping the audience involved from the first chord to the last drum beat.

Directed and choreographed

by Lynne Formato, “Rent” featured a cast who fully committed themselves to their roles. Those worthy of particular praise are Sabrina Bradley’s Mimi

Marquez and Barrett Wilbert Weed’s Maureen Johnson. Even the biggest of “Rent”-heads would be blown away by their fire and passion and fresh interpretations of parts requiring complete emotional and physical abandon.

The entire ensemble was also to be applauded for their seamless transitions between multiple minor characters. An annoying Jewish mother from Scarsdale became a homeless woman haggling over the price of stolen coats. A car windowwasher became a freaky goth with tattoos covering his arms, and a shrill television producer

tracy raetz | Staff Photographer

Sophomore Anthony Bruno played Angel Dumott Schunard, a drag queen living with AIDS in Jonathan Larson’s “Rent.” All performances during its weekend-long run were sold to a packed house.

became a simple soloist. There were many more who were equally as admirable.

But none of these actors would have shone the way they did if not for the superb scenic and lighting design, courtesy of Natalie Taylor Hart and Bill Webb.

The rusted fire escapes and scaffolding looked so worn and solid, it seemed as if they had been on the stage for years.

But a few flaws existed in this rendition of “Rent.” The sound design was a bit shaky, especially in Act 1 on opening night. Lyrics were lost amidst the musical accompaniment, which was otherwise superb, partially

hidden beneath the set. On opening night, a few microphone cues were missed and dialogue didn’t reach the audience.

There is also fault to be found in the narrative of the second act. Following a heartwrenching ballad, the ensemble reentered to perform “Contact,” which in this production could only be described as a wellchoreographed orgy.

The dramatic shift from heartbreak to sexual promiscuity to a funeral immediately following the orgy scene was jarring. It completely removed the viewer from the journey.

All doubts aside, it was

obvious the audience was elated with this show. Even a person who had never heard of “Rent” before could fall in love with the story between lights down and lights up. The vocals and acting would bring newbie theater-goer back to Elon productions time and time again.

The image that stands above all else from “Rent” had to be when the entire cast sang the iconic “Seasons of Love” both in the beginning and end of the second act.

No movement, no gimics, no special effects, just beautiful voices from beautiful people singing beautiful words.

sTyle

Page 14 // Wednesday, February 16, 2011

The Pendulum

Battle of the Fro-Yo: The latest snack craze

Reporter taste tests and chooses best frozen yogurt in town Story and photos by Madelyn Smith reviewer

Bright walls. Modern furniture. Umpteen flavors and toppings are laid out before you in a virtual candy-coated rainbow. YoZone and TCBY, two frozen yogurt shops in Burlington, N.C., have their similarities, but each store is also known for different deals and flavors. Frozen yogurt has become popular among the college crowd for its low-calorie and tasty makeup. Now students have more than one option for Fro-Yo within a few miles of campus.

Veteran store TCBY now has a new competitor less than a mile away. Luckily for Fro-Yo lovers, this means more topping variety, flavors and neon spoons to dig into their favorite sweet treat.

TCBY 2779 S. Church St., Burlington

Vs.

YoZone 309 Huffman Mill Road, Burlington

Yo-Zone: the low-down

TCBY: An “oldie but goody” TCBY is about five minutes from campus, making it an obvious contender in the FroYo battle. What sets it apart besides its well-known name?

First, the prices. If it’s a Wednesday night and studying is not going so well, my mind tends to drift to the irrestistable Waffle Cone Wednesday, where a cup or cone of regular ice cream costs just 99 cents. And while prices are fixed, they are reasonable.

Unlike YoZone, TCBY sells food items other than yogurt, so

if I don’t feel like eating a filling cup of Cake Batter ice cream, I can indulge in milkshakes, smoothies or fruit bars. Variety is where TCBY gets is edge.

TCBY’s frozen treats are technically considered yogurt, but I am more full from eating a cup of vanilla yogurt at TCBY than a cup of the same flavor at YoZone, meaning its flavors have more of a soft-serve consistency.

And because many of its options are pre-mixed, like Cookies n’ Cream, I don't get to personalize my yogurt purchase as much as I do at YoZone.

Making a decision Decisions, decisions While YoZone and TCBY both sell frozen yogurt with optional toppings to add on, it’s worth comparing both shops to determine the best fit for your Fro-Yo needs.

YoZone is the newest edition to the frozen yogurt, or Fro-Yo, craze that is rivaling cupcake shops and ice cream parlors nationwide. It opened in December and has since been the go-to place for Elon students, families and large groups, even in the coldest winter months that usually lend themselves to coffee outings.

I've been to YoZone multiple times and simply cannot stay away. Other Elon students seem to share my love for the store, because on any given night between 7:30 p.m. and closing time, it is buzzing with chatty groups of Elon students.

Wood has recognized this surge in 20-something visitors. “To

make it easier for the students, we just got the machine in for them to use their Phoenix Cards,” he said.

YoZone’s self-serve approach and weigh-in pricing is a huge bonus. And creating my own personalized yogurt masterpiece is just plain fun.

I start out with one of the fruitier flavors (the flavors rotate weekly) and then add California Tart, a versatile flavor that compliments anything. And for the toppings, I opt for the classic strawberries and chocolate combo.

If I feel the need to splurge, I'll even add some gummy bears.

Despite eating a hefty cup of yogurt like this, I am generally less full because YoZone’s yogurt is lighter than the creamiey softserve at TCBY.

Local Yogurt 2501 University Drive, Durham Local Yogurt: A new contender Elon students may soon have an even tougher time choosing their favorite when Local Yogurt comes to campus March 5. It will be taking over 116 Oak’s location in downtown Elon.

Local Yogurt — nicknamed “LoYo,” already has locations in Raleigh, Durham and Greenville.

Local Yogurt, like YoZone and TCBY, is already on the social networking scene, using Twitter and Facebook to promote flavors and special discounts. It's $1 off with college I.D. nights will be a big hit for students, not to

mention it will be conveniently located steps away from Elon’s main campus.

Like YoZone, Local Yogurt’s prices are also based on the weight of each cup, so I can either pile on the toppings or go with basic flavors, depending on how much I’m willing to pay.

Local Yogurt’s name also comes from its commitment to buying fresh ingredients from local farms and vendors.

This puts a healthy spin on the already delicious dessert choice that will no doubt continue to become popular.

STYLE

ThE PENDuLum

WEDNESDAY, fEbruArY 16, 2011 // PAgE 15

Comedian shares personal experiences as humor

Divorce, hippy parents, run-ins with the law make up comedic content

brian allenby | Staff Photographer

Collin Moulton, a comedian from Valencia, Calif., performed at Elon Friday, Feb. 11 in Irazu. Moulton told many personal stories about his unconventional life and childhood in his routine. He will appear in a Showtime television special Feb. 24 called the “Laugh Out Loud Comedy Festival.”

Bonnie Efird features Editor

From liv ing in an organ ic food com mune to work ing as a mobile DJ to touring th roughout the Un ited States on h is comedy tours, Collin Moulton has many stories to tell th rough h is shows.

Elon st udents experienced Moulton’s act first hand at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 11 in Irazu.

SU B sponsored the event.

Moulton, a native Wisconsin ite, started h is comedy career 11 years ago wh ile liv ing in L .A., and has been in steady work ever since.

So what makes th is Midwestern corn-fed comedian different from the others?

“Collin’s sense of humor is really relatable to college st udents,” said Lauren Tow nsend, SUBlive chair at Elon. “He’s really w itt y and keeps a h igh energ y level.” Tow nsend arranged Moulton’s v isit to Elon.

SU Blive w ill bring in a

comedian the second Friday of every month th is semester in hopes of creating a lasting comedy series to diversify the t y pes of performances offered at Elon.

Tow nsend said Campus Activ ities Magazine named Moulton a “Hot Comedy” act for 2011 because h is comedy tends to be popular among college st udents.

Mou lton sa id h is comedy a i ms to relate to h is aud ience th rough rea l-l ife ex periences a nd persona l stories.

“My comedy is rea l ly persona l, h igh energ y, a nd some obser vationa l,” he sa id. “I have a lot of i nteresti ng cha racters i n my l ife.”

Th rough stories about r u n-i ns w ith cops a nd jokes about roma nce, Mou lton covers a l l k i nds of rea l-l ife topics that, to some col lege st udents, may seem qu ite fa m i l ia r.

Though he cl i mbed th rough the ra n ks i n comedy clubs, Mou lton sa id col lege

a u d i e n c e s “My comedy is really though, may ca n be personal, high energy and be a sig n the most that Mou lton some observational. I have a has a bright i nterest i ng f u t u r e a nd exciti ng lot of characters in my life.” a head. to perform -Collin moulton for.

Moulton “I love Comedian appea rs i n an episode the col leges; of Laugh the energ y Out Loud ca n be so electric,” he C o m e d y Festiva l that w i l l debut on sa id.

“The comedy clubs a re where I ca me up, so I Showti me Feb. 24. k now the formu la there, but “I wa nt to bu i ld ex posu re it’s more i nteresti ng at a a nd d raw,” he sa id. “I wa nt col lege. The way they watch to create a body of sta nd-up a nd go a l l the way w ith it.” a comedy is d ifferent.”

The SU Bl ive comedy A lthough he sa id he loves h is job, Mou lton sa id series w i l l conti nue w ith Ada m Nor west on Ma rch 11. the on ly dow n fa l l is a l l Mou lton’s performa nce of the travel i ng. He l ives i n Va lencia, Ca l if., but i n I razu bega n at 8:30 p.m., travels across the U.S. on a after he fi n ished ta l k i ng consistent basis. w ith a few members of the aud ience before the show.

“The travel is the ha rdest The sma l l aud ience pa rt,” he sa id. “I don’t get to have pla nts, a ga rden d id n’t keep Mou lton or su rf ever yday. I leave from getti ng st udents to laugh a nd someti mes feel ever y Wed nesday a nd come home Su nday, usua l ly ever y u ncom fortable.

Mou lton repeated ly week.”

The consistent work, picked on one ma le

member of the aud ience. He ex pla i ned that at shows he comes up to g uys a nd hugs them, or puts h is leg on them, pu rposefu l ly creati ng a n awk wa rd sit uation.

The aud ience member sa id he’d brea k Mou lton’s jaw if he ca me up a nd hugged h i m.

“I th i n k you’re ly i ng,” Mou lton sa id. “People don’t k now what to do because it’s a su rprise. It’s pa ra lyzi ng.”

People a re frightened by thei r ow n homophobia, Mou lton sa id, ca l l i ng it a neu rotox i n.

Mou lton’s comedy focused on homosex ua l it y a nd people’s reactions, h is gay u ncle, how h is pa rents ra ised h i m, h is pa rent’s d ivorce a nd ta k i ng ca re of h is ag i ng pa rents as they a re put i nto hospices.

Reporting contribution from Marlena Chertock

Elon history professor explores close-hitting and controversial lung transplants in GST classes Meredith Browne reporter

Mary Jo Festle grew up in a household with two brothers who were diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.

By the time they reached their 20s, both brothers became very sick and needed lung transplants.

The older of the two, John, died while scientists were still in the experimental stages of his treatment.

It was from this personal experience that Festle, an Elon University history professor, began her research on lung transplantation.

When her family decided to look into the possibility of getting a transplant for Bob, her other brother, Festle began researching the procedure.

Initially, she investigated the benefits and risks, but the research sparked a deep interest and fascination with the issues associated with the procedure.

“As soon as I started looking at it historically, I thought, there’s a lot to learn here in a professional way rather than a personal way,” said Festle.

Festle’s research progressed as she read government documents about policy debates, medical journals and other topics.

Fifty percent “Most (friends and families of help other people of lung transplant respitory patients) are extremely because they’ve been patients live a helped.” generous because they are so Festle was able maximum of appreciative that a stranger to discover the five years after the procedure, helped save their life.” powerful bond shared between according to Festle. This 50 in the -mary Jo festle people transplant percent included history professor lung community. She also Festle’s brother, Bob. learned about some It wasn’t until the late 90s that of the hardships patients and their Festle began to integrate patients’ loved ones face.

In the U.S., there are about experiences in her research. Festle 50 hospitals that perform lung taught a GST seminar at Elon called “Oral History: Lung Transplantation.” transplants, Festle said. Many times, patients relocate in order to be In the course, students read about the history and ethics of lung closer to those hospitals so that if a transplants, as well as policy debates. transplant becomes available, they are able to get to the hospital quicker.

Festle also had her students interview someone who was either waiting for This is crucial; since lungs or had received a lung transplant. deteriorate quickly, there is only a Festle arranged this by sending a certain amount of time doctors can note through the website 2ndwind. wait to put a lung inside of a patient org, a nonprofit organization for and have it work again. friends and families of respiratory One of the most dangerous aspects patients. of the procedure is suppressing the “Most of the people are extremely patient’s immune system. This is generous because they are so done in order to prevent the body appreciative that a stranger helped from rejecting the new lung.

By doing so, the risk of infection save their life,” Festle said. “They can’t pay back that stranger. So is heightened, especially for people they generally want to do good and with lung transplants, because with

every breath, there is a higher chance of catching a cold or another type of infection.

According to Festle, one of the biggest challenges for medicine to overcome is chronic rejection.

At the present time, doctors don’t understand what causes it or how to treat it.

Chronic rejection takes the lives of many lung transplant patients, including Festle’s brother Bob. Despite the potential roadblocks in the journey to recovery, Festle has seen a surprising amount of support in the lung transplant community.

Instead of viewing each other as competition for a transplant, patients view each other as family.

Festle presented her research to Knox College, her alma mater, as part of a lecture series. She hadn’t returned to the college in 25 years.

“It was touching for me to be invited, and it was a chance to see a few professors who made a big difference in my life, and then to meet some Knox students and see if they were like what me and my friends were like,” she said.

Festle is currently writing a book based on the past 10 years of her research on lung transplants.

sTyle

Page 16 // Wednesday, february 16, 2011

The Pendulum

Top 6 cities for employment: Houston, D.C.

among top cities for college graduates Nick Zanetti reporter

As much as some seniors dread the day, in three months, most will graduate and move on to the “real world.” Although finding a job in tough economic times may seem terrifying, there has been some measure of meager recovery in the past year, according to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernake.

“The economic recovery that began in the middle of 2009 appears to have strengthened in the past few months, although the unemployment rate remains high,” Bernake said in a speech to the House Budget Committee.

In this economic environment, students in the class of 2011 must decide what their next move will be in their job search. For many, this may mean returning home. A survey of last year’s graduating class by Collegegrad.com showed that 80 percent moved back home after graduation. But eventually, these new graduates must find jobs and decide where they will live.

How should students decide where to live after graduation?

Tom Vecchione, the executive director of career services at Elon, has some ideas.

“Students should cast as wide a net as possible,” he said.

Vecchione advised students to keep an open mind while searching for their new home.“Some students dismiss places too quickly because of one impression of a city or something bad their friends told them,” he said.

The following list draws on recommendations from Bloomberg Business Week, as well as lists compiled

by Apartments.com. The Bloomberg list factored in the number of entry-level employers, average annual pay, cost of living index and unemployment rate.

The Apartments.com list concentrated on people between the ages of 20 and 24, an inventory of jobs requiring less than one year of experience and the average cost of rent for a one-bedroom apartment.

This list also favors cities that have a particularly strong Elon alumni network, such as D.C. and Charlotte.

4. Washington, D.C.

The top six cities for college graduates:

The D.C. area features a robust Elon alumni network. The nation’s capital holds many government jobs, which are more or less immune to a struggling economy. Political science and history majors flock to D.C. for jobs within the political beltway.

1. Houston, Texas

5. Atlanta, G.a.

The lone star state holds two major cities on the list. If you are at a complete loss of where to go after graduation, going almost anywhere in Texas is a safe bet. The low cost of living index, is great for employees earning starting salaries. The low unemployment rate in Houston, 8.4 percent, also gives graduates a better chance of landing a job also.

Atlanta features one of the mildest climates in the country, as well as one of the highest concentrations of young people, garnering the nickname “hotlanta.” The city has low average rent for a one-person apartment, approximtely $723.

The home of Coca-Cola Co. and CNN headquarters features a diverse and strong job market.

6. Denver, Colo.

2. Charlotte, N.C. “Charlotte features one of our strongest networks of alumni and parents,” said Vecchione.

Alumni contacts are one of the most useful tools when job hunting. Despite the advent of online job finding and many ways to get a job, personal contacts are still valuable to young job seekers.

“Networking with alumni is one of the best things that students can do for themselves in their job hunt,” Vecchione said.

Charlotte also boasts a relatively low cost of living index making it an affordable haven for Elon graduates.

3. Dallas, Texas Beside the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders, Dallas features a low cost of living, which is helpful for any low-income worker. The low unemployment rate of 8.2 percent makes for a promising work market, along with a high number of entry-level employers.

Dallas also has one of the lowest average apartment rent rates in the nation at $740.

The Mile High City boasts low rent - $779 average for a one person apartment, as well as a very low unemployment rate at only 7.8 percent. With 300 days of sunshine every year and virtually no humidity, the occasionally frigid temperatures are much more manageable than other cities.

The city has garnered the name “Wall Street of the Rockies” and appeals to business and finance majors.

Elon’s career services has a multitude of resources to help students find internships and employment. The departments “destination” program features panels of alumni who can answer basic questions students may have.

“The key thing in searching is to get started sooner rather than later,” Vecchione said.

The statistics in this article were gathered from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Counsil for Communiy and Economic research and apartments.com.

julia sayers | staff Photographer

Left: Destinee Pray worked the table in Moseley and sold churros to support the alternative spring break trip to Mexico.

Top: Pray said they sold more than 170 churros for $1.50 each.

Students sell fried pastries to fund alternative spring break trip to Mexico Julia Sayers staff Photographer

While some students will be laying out on the beach for spring break, others will be hard at work helping others.

This year, students have the opportunity to participate in the alternative spring break trip to San Luís Potosí, Mexico, which is the first alternative break trip to Mexico.

Alternative break trips are service trips that are led by students or through campus organizations.

To help fund the trip, which is through the Kernoodle Center for Service Learning, students

organized a churros fundraiser.

Churros, fried dough pastries popular in Latin America, were sold in Moseley for $1.50 each.

Freshman Destinee Pray, who worked the table and is going on the trip, said ARAMARK cooked the churros for them, free of a labor charge.

Freshman Kacie Brennell helped to organize the fundraiser.

“I knew churros were available through ARAMARK and thought that would be convenient and unique,” Brennell said.

About 170 churros were sold on the first day.

“I was walking across

campus with all these churros in my arms, and everyone was looking at me like 'Who is this girl and why does she have so many churros?' Brennell said.

On Valentine's Day, students sent churros to friends' mailboxes along with candy grams.

Students going on the trip will pay no more than $1,000.

Financial aid is also available through the Kernodle Center.

Students applied for the trip in the fall for the nine available spots.

“We wanted to keep the numbers small so it is a more intimate experience,” Brennell said.

On the trip, students will be spending the mornings at University Technológico Superior teaching English to students. In the afternoon, Elon students will perform various service deeds including visiting an immigrant shelter, a retirement home and a soup kitchen.

Brennell is one of the student leaders.

“I’m so thrilled. I’ve been on service trips to Mexico before but never led one,” Brennell said. “It’s an honor because I’m just a freshman. I applied and didn’t think I’d get it but here I am.”

The two faculty advisers on

the trip are Dianne Ford and Mary Leigh Frier. Ford has been to Mexico before on a sister city program that Burlington, N.C. has with Soledad de Gráciano Sanchez, Mexico.

Sister cities are cities in geographically and politically distinct areas that have established cooperative agreements among themselves to promote cultural and commercial ties.

“What makes this trip unique is that Burlington has a sister city program that sends adults to Soledad on service trips,” Brennell said. “This year Soledad is opening up to students from Elon.”

the Pendulum

wedneSday, February 16, 2011 // Page 17

Style

Rip_Chord rocks campus with V-Day a cappella grams Kit Arbuckle reporter

This is the third year that the boys of Rip_Chord set up a table in Moseley to sell Valentine’s Day A Cappella Grams. For a fee of $10, one of eight songs could be chosen to be performed for a friend, significant other, coworker or anyone else to whom they wished to spread some love. According to junior Rip_Chord president Chris Kilgore, they’ll sing to “anyone, anywhere on campus.”

This year, the songs for sale were “Hollywood,” “I Want It That Way,” “Lay ‘Em Down,” “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” “Good Old A Cappella,” “Will You Be There,” “Down” and “Teenage Dream.”

People buy a cappella grams for their roommates, their suitemates, their boyfriends and girlfriends, Octagon workers and sometimes even for a member within Rip_Chord.

“They’re popular with sorority girls for their Littles,” sophomore Chase Pitman said.

Rip_Chord started delivering the grams in the spring of 2008 by popular demand.

“We are just continuing the tradition,” Kilgore said.

Most of their grams are delivered to dorm rooms, but they began their rounds on Friday with two deliveries in Octagon.

Freshman Tyler Johnson led Rip_ Chord with his solo in “Lay ‘Em Down,”

“When (Brokaw) got down on one knee I almost died. I thought it was wonderful. It was the perfect song.”

-lauren King Junior sung to Octagon employee Lynne McGee. They met when McGee worked at Danieley Center earlier this year, and Johnson visited her frequently after she transferred to Octagon.

“He told me he had a surprise,” McGee said, “but I had no idea what it was.”

The second gram was delivered to junior Lauren King, a head staffer at New Student Orientation, from her fellow head staffers. Rip_Chord sang “I Want It That Way,” with a solo by sophomore Bert Brokaw who, incidentally, lives across the hall from King.

“When (Brokaw) got down on one knee I almost died,” said King. “I thought it was wonderful. It was the perfect song.”

Both Octagon performances were met with enthusiastic applause from onlookers.

The money they make goes toward producing the group's new CD, travel expenses, new uniforms and other club expenses, but Kilgore said they don’t do it for the money. According to him, the money’s necessary, but the grams are a

unique way to connect with their fans on campus.

The 15 members of Rip_Chord deliver their grams during Valentine’s weekend — this year, Friday, Feb. 11 and Saturday, Feb. 12 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

A few years ago, they sang “Milkshake” in Brown & Co., the predecessor of Town Table restaurant.

“There were parents there,” senior Greg Flis said. “It got awkward.”

The person who buys the gram fills out a sign-up sheet with the name, time, date and location of their recipient. “If you buy an a cappella gram, you’re responsible for where they’re going to be,” Kilgore said.

Rip_Chord’s next Midnight Meals performance is scheduled for March 3, and their spring show for April 9. They also have an upcoming CD release that Kilgore said is the culmination of the last two years.

MORE ONLINE: STYLE Video: Watch Rip_Chord deliver their special Valentine treats. http://bit.ly/TPOripchord Maddie Carlin and Katy Steele, Multimedia Contributors

WSOE CD REVIEW

Decemberists revert to roots with new British-folk, alternative rock-based album Hunter Ertel reviewer

It’s the late ’60’s and the British folk revival is in full bloom. Troubadours are descending on the towns from the woodlands singing the sea shanties and labor songs of yesteryear; combining the messages of living simply and in harmony with ones fellow man with more decade specific messages like tune in, turn on, drop out or make love, not war.

Fast-forward 20 or so years and the future seeds of the alternative music movement were budding under the mask of college rock, with bands like R.E.M. and The Smiths getting airtime at college radio stations as a new generation was casting off the burden of their parents aesthetic tastes.

Both genres have been long-time influences for The Decemberists’ front man and master wordsmith Colin Meloy, who displays strong affinity for both these traditions on his new album “The King Is Dead.”

Those who follow The Decemberists will notice a strong connection between “The King is Dead“ and their earlier works like “Castaways and Cutouts“ or the five-song EP. After wandering through the dark forests of prog-rock and sprawling cities of pop, Meloy has returned to the romantic valley of folk.

Born in the rustic hills of Montana, Meloy can croon of a barony of ivy or an ancient riverbed so as to make the bones of the bucolic poets of old

Album Art courtesy of tuesdAyguide.com

The Decembrists new album “The King is Dead” is a mix of British folk and classic college rock influences and connects strongly with its previous releases.

rattle. The same sort of pastoral moaning is familiar in his preDecemberists band, Tarkio, which achieved some mild success on college radio stations across Montana.

Both the college-rock and British-folk-revival influences can be seen on the album’s guest musicians. Appalachian and Bluegrass songstress Gillian Welch lends her voice to the single “Down by the Water,” and Peter Buck, guitarist for R.E.M., strums his 12-string for three of “The King is Dead’s” songs.

For such beautiful pastoral music, the theme of annihilation and terrible misfortune - a subject that runs deep in all The Decemberists’ music - remains

strong. “Calamity Song” tells of two young people fighting in the war at the end of times as the world falls apart, and although it seems the Decembrists have taken a break from concept albums, this theme seems to be explored further in songs like “This is Why We Fight” and “Rox in the Box.” With such dark undertones, the melody of the album is mostly up-tempo, suggesting the old Sun-Tzu saying that it is the facing of annihilation that makes people strive for greatness, and the prospect of destruction that leads to success.

This album seems pretty optimistic about the end of all things.

FASHION COLUMN

Out and about: discoveries in the Burlington area One of the best things about fashion is having something that no one else has.

Alexandra But in our Johnston increasingly Fashion Columnist global world it is getting more difficult to be original. Instead of hitting up the mall for something new, try looking to the past. Shopping secondhand is a great way to get unique items at a reasonable price.

It is no secret that Burlington, N.C., isn’t really the fashion capital of the world, but it has many hidden treasures to offer. Take the time to get out of the ‘bubble’ and check out these great thrift, antique and consignment shops in the area.

NestIt might seem a bit out of place among the drab colors, but this bright blue house-turned-shop is a for the eclectic. Nest is a vintage revival boutique specializing in furniture and home goods, but it also has cute gifts. Located just past downtown Burlington, Nest is a great place to get already refurbished vintage items. Since the repairs have been made, the pricing can be higher than a thrift shop, but the quality of the items reflects that. Their sister store, The Cottage at Nest, sits right next door and houses a variety of small clothing items, jewelry and gifts. Both stores feel like a dream, with lights strung from the ceilings and the walls decked in light pinks and creams. (nestnc.blogspot.com).

Granddaddy’s Antiques– Lauded as the largest antique mall in the Carolinas, Granddaddy’s has everything from furniture to assorted novelties. But among the stalls of seemingly random items are shelves full of vintage and costume jewelry, scarves and accessories. Ranging in price, these pieces are great additions to any wardrobe. Vintage jewelry can bring new life to old outfits when paired with basics or used to enhance an evening ensemble. Colorful silk and cotton scarves are great as loosely tied headbands or as an adornment tied around a basic bag. (www.granddaddys.com).

Salvation Army Family Store– Not only does the Salvation Army Family Store benefit a good cause, but its racks are brimming with changing stock of men’s and women’s clothing. Since the clothing here is donation based, there isn’t a fashion filter on what is good and what doesn’t need to see the light of day again. But, if you feel up to it, some of the best finds can be had here. Try looking for shirts in larger sizes and cinching them with belts; just make sure that the fit in the shoulders is right. (260 W Davis St).

Secondhand shopping can be time-consuming and tedious.

Since there is usually only one item of each, sizing can be difficult and less convenient than shopping at the mall. But the payoff of having a unique look is worth it every time someone praises it.

Page 18 // WeDNeSDay, febRUaRy 16, 2011

Style

tHe PeNDUlUM

End of the world and superheroes to boot

merissa blitz | staff Photographer

Above: Sophomore Claire Manship performed a monologue about reclaiming a perjurative word sometimes used to refer to a vagina. Manship performed in the Vagina Monologues, an annual tradition at Elon University.

Below: Freshman Karrah Fleshman told the story of a woman who grew to accept her vagina because of someone else’s fascination with that body part. The event is traditionally held on Valentine’s Day.

A closer look ‘down there’ Annual ‘Vagina Monologues’ empowers women and men

Lauren Ramsdell Reviewer

Valentine’s Day at Elon University usually features girls walking back from the Mail Center laden with Teleflora boxes, men dressed in their snazzy best and singles out to dinner with their friends. Another tradition is the annual production of “The Vagina Monologues,” a play based on interviews conducted with thousands of women.

Playwright Eve Ensler, the interviewer who compiled the Monologues, first had the compilation performed in 1996 and has continually worked to update the Monologues.

The Monologues were directed by sophomore Rebekah Carmichael and sponsored by Elon Feminists for Equality, Change and Transformation and the Women’s and Gender Studies Program.

Fourteen women performed the Monologues in roles ranging from dark to happy and everything in between. Characters included a divorcee whose husband repeatedly cheated on her, a 72-year-old woman who never became intimate with anyone out of nervousness and fear and an Afghan woman forced to wear the burqa. Each monologue brought laughter, gasps of surprise or stunned silence, based on the subject.

Some monologues deserve special mention for their poignancy and portrayal.

Freshman Sara Spadacene performed “The Flood” as the 72-year-old woman with understated humor, believable unease and quiet snark.

Junior Paloma White made the audience believe that her vagina was, indeed, angry in “My Angry Vagina.” And in “Because He Liked to Look at It,” freshman Karrah Fleshman described coming to terms with her own body.

Throughout the performance, there were snippets of shocking facts.

More than 130 million women around the world have had female genital mutilation performed on them, and 3 million more are added every year. In the United States, 200 million women are raped each year. And in 2000s-era Afghanistan, women were treated “as walking corpses.”

Sophomore Liz Green is an independent Women’s and Gender Studies major who performed in the Monologues last year. She performed “The Little Coochie Snorcher That Could,” a story about repressed sexuality, rape and eventually, acceptance.

“It’s a message I believe in,” she said. “Being a woman is a beautiful thing and there is no shame in having a vagina.”

Sophomores Davis Allen and Elizabeth Moss came to the Monologues for Valentine’s day.

“I think the message of female empowerment is really important and lends itself to different

contexts,” Allen said.

Moss has been coming to the Monologues each year she’s been at Elon and began seeing them before she was in college. “(They are) funny, sad and powerful. You don’t have to be a woman to appreciate that,” she said.

MORE ONLINE: STYLE Video: The women of The Vagina Monologues talk about their experience in the show. http://bit.ly/ TPOmonologues Laura Van Drie, Multimedia Intern

The year 2012 may bring the infamous “end of days,” but the human race may just be protected by all the superheroes the big screen is bringing.

Almost every hero one can think of is flying, crawling, teleporting or swinging out of underground hiding in the next couple of Michelle Wilson Columnist years, looking to save the day.

Andrew Garfield’s “Spider-Man” may have to compete in the box office with another revamp of a popular comic book hero: “Superman.” It seems that Hollywood can’t stay away from the Kryptonian Man of Steel for too long. With “Smallville,” the television show charting Clark Kent’s early life, finishing its tenth and final season, and the 2006 “Superman Returns” not being a huge critical success, maybe it is time for a new man to wear the cape.

The “man” in question is Henry Cavill, a British-born actor who’s gotten a bit of flack for seemingly not fitting the part, because some fans wanted Jon Hamm from “Mad Men” for the role. Cavill is new to intense action films, mostly co-starring in period films and shows like “The Tudors” and the movie “Stardust,” but that may be in his favor as no one has much to judge him yet. Not much else is known about the film, other than Zack Snyder is set to direct.

One actor not at all new to the superhero circuit is Chris Evans, who in the past starred as Johnny Storm, aka The Human Torch, in “The Fantastic Four.” Evans plays Steve Rogers, who volunteers for a top secret research project that turns him into Captain America, a superhero dedicated to defending the country he was named after. The film “Captain America: The First Avenger” is just that — the first before the star-packed film “The Avengers,” which stars Evans again as Captain America, Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner and several other heroes.

The justice doesn’t stop there. Another film that is jamming in several superheroes is “X-Men: First Class.” The movie, set in the 1960s, follows Charles Xavier before he became Professor X, Erik Lehnsherr before he was Magneto and their group of “gifted” friends.

Some have appeared in the original X-Men series, like Mystique, and some new, like Beast, played

by Nicholas Hoult from “Skins (U.K.)” fame.

The movie will probably be this summer’s boxoffice hit, as it stars James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender. Plus, it’s X-Men and everyone loves X-Men. For those interested in comic books, all one can do is count down the days until the actionpacked moves come out. For those who couldn’t care less about superpowers, evil villains or caped crusaders, well, you can always just hope the Mayans were right.

One Act plays will showcase student productions Stephanie Butzer Reporter

The Black Box Theatre is once again hosting a round of shows that will run the gamut from comedy to tragedy.

The upcoming performances are part of the One Act Festival.

“It’s great because it consists of student-directed plays where students who aren’t currently in any mainstage shows are able to keep working on their craft,” said Jeff Masters, president of the Theatre Honors Society and producer of the One Act Festival.

The performances will start on Friday, Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m. There are other shows on Saturday, Feb. 19 and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and a final performance Feb. 20 at 2 p.m.

Masters said that directing the plays is not only a lot less stressful than directing an entire play, but it gives the actors an opportunity to

experiment more.

The play’s adviser is Fred Rubeck, and although he is not directly involved in producing the plays, he is the professor who approves of their plans. Both of these plays are 100 percent student-produced.

One of the directors of the plays is junior Julia Gallagher. She has been involved in the performing arts since her freshman year when she was on deck crew for “The Pavilion" and “Sweeney Todd." In addition, she had the opportunity to stage manage the 24 Hour Plays from last year. In this year’s One Act Festival, there are two plays.

“I’m directing ‘For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls,’” Gallagher said, a comedy and parody of Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie.”

The other director, junior Kabby Borders, is in charge of directing the drama “The Seventeenth of June.”

Directing the show has been an irreplaceable privilege for Gallagher,

she said. She said she loves being able to create visions in her head and then see them come to life. She also said that the actors she works with are equally talented people.

“I’ve never directed before, so it’s definitely been an amazing learning experience,” she said.

As a director for this event, Gallagher has a lot of extra responsibilities. She usually gets to rehearsal early in order to set up and prepare the scenery and props for the practice. Once everything is set and the assistant director, assistant stage manager and actors arrive, the group does a warm-up check-in.

“We go around in a circle to see how everybody’s day was and see how everyone is feeling,” she said. This is an important process because it may affect the day’s work.

Depending on where the group is in the process, the group will work on individual parts of “For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls” or run the

Black Box Theatre One Act shows black box One acts are feb. 1820 in the black box theatre. Shows will be friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Performing arts majors will direct the short plays. admission is $5 or free with an elon ID. entire show. Sometimes Gallagher and her assistant director work on fine-tuning some things after the rehearsals have ended.

The plays run for one weekend and are free to Elon students with an ID. But, since the one-act plays are in the small Black Box Theatre, it is recommended to get there up to an hour before the performance begins.

Style

the Pendulum

wedneSday, February 16, 2011 // Page 19

How to: Integrate your workout into daily life Sarah Carideo Senior reporter

Everyone has lofty goals about being more active in the new year, but it’s more than a month in, and most have probably begun to give up.

The gym is just so far, there's too much homework to do and working out in front of a crowd is intimidating, are the excuses often heard, but there are ways to add movement to daily activities for extra exercise. Despite how ominous the treadmill can seem, working out is supposed to be fun.

Physical activity doesn’t have to mean extreme cardio workouts.

It can mean new, fun ways to integrate your workout into your daily schedule.

1. Wake up and dance If you have an 8 a.m. class, this is a good way to transform from an unfit zombie to a healthy college student in a fun way. Although it seems silly, healthguidance.org said dancing helps with coordination, energizing, f lexibility, strength and endurance. It also has positive effects on your emotional wellbeing. So put on some dance music and shimmy and shake those calories away as you go through

your morning routine.

2. Plaque and calories be gone Colgate.com recommends brushing your teeth for two minutes and taking full advantage of this time to get moving. So instead of just staring at your frothy mouth, do some squats, lunges or wallsits. Shouldn’t your body look as great as your teeth?

3. Get fit while you sit Inspired by the Sit and Be Fit program, keep a set of weights next to the couch and use them at different intervals while you watch TV or a movie. Challenge yourself by using them during the actual show or scene, or just during commercials. Get creative with the different exercises you can do, and you’ll be a couch potato without looking like one.

4. Jump for commercials

circulation and cardio, making them one of the best exercises for you. Go back to your middle school gym class days and challenge yourself to keep beating your score every time.

5. Wash away flab People usually dread doing dishes and exercising, so why not combine the two and get it over with? While doing this daily chore, try to stand on your toes the whole time to strengthen your legs. Steadyhealth. com said calf raises are important to strengthen the muscles needed to stand or run for a long time.

When you’re done, you’ll have clean dishes. The bonus is that your arms and legs will have gotten a workout.

rich you could be if you got a penny a day. But an even more valuable application would be to use that with an exercise like crunches or push-ups. Suite101. com said to pick a low number to start, like five, and add one a day to eventually do 100 per day. It’s not too hard and takes away from how daunting this type of exercise can be.

Whether you’re just hanging out, doing chores or getting ready for the day, you can do simple exercises to help you feel better and make your day healthier. Even silly exertions like arm wrestling and pillow fights will help relieve stress and can be good for you.

Be creative and think of everyday activities in a new way and how they can be improved.

6. One a day Everyone knows the old trick of how

Instead of skipping to another channel, try jumping for com mercia ls.

According to benefitof.net, jumping jacks help with flexibility,

Movie stereotypes of college don’t play out at Elon Most freshmen pleased with college experience after first semester Lindsay Kimble Copy editor

From “Accepted” and “National Lampoon’s Van Wilder” to “Animal House” and “Legally Blonde,” movies have been tackling the ‘typical’ four years of college for decades. Movies depict rampant social lives, lavish dorm room setups and a moderately light, to no workload.

For many incoming freshmen, such depictions are the only background they have for what is to come from their college experience.

While those with older siblings, had an idea of what to expect, others experienced more of a shock and had to learn to navigate the ins and outs of university life on their own.

The Class of 2014 is now more than halfway done with their freshman year of college, and many have found college to be even better than expected.

“My expectations for college life were that there would be a lot of work, but it would be a lot of fun and great experience,” freshman Taylor Berghane said. Berghane said these expectations came from family members currently in college, which he cited as “at least four” of his cousins. Berghane also said he had expectations based on what movies depict as college life.

“Specifically, I was excited for college parties and also having the freedom to somewhat set my own class schedule,” he said. “And also to meet a lot of new people.”

Berghane said that college is better

than he expected. “The classes are really good, I’ve made a lot of friends and I really like Elon,” Berghane said.

“I also have enough free time where I don’t feel overwhelmed.”

Freshman Emily Schuett also had many of her college expectations met and exceeded at Elon.

“A lot of what I had envisioned campus life at Elon to be like is an actual reality,” Schuett said. “I have more time because, unlike high school, I only have two classes. I get less sleep. I can never go to bed before 12 or one no matter how hard I try — and I have so much more independence, being far and no longer under my parents’ roof.”

Schuett said that she pictured herself walking around campus, getting coffee and studying in the library. She even imagined how she would settle into her new abode.

“I pictured how I would set up my room and prepared myself to get involved and do as much as possible on campus.”

Schuett said the only thing she did not expect was being homesick, as well as finding an immediate group of close friends. She said she learned that she couldn’t “jump right in” to college life, and there was an adjustment period.

“A lot of my expectations came from what I had seen of Elon from when I visited the spring before, and also from friends who were from my high school but a grade above me,” Schuett said. “I loved hearing their stories from college and getting really

excited for my own experiences.”

Freshman Kristina Lindquist had few expectations for college.

“I thought that I would be able to have a lot of independence and freedom since I was away from my parents,” Lindquist said.

“I also thought that I could party whenever I wanted without having a constant fear of getting in trouble.”

Lindquist said she got these ideas from hearing older students' college stories and from movies and

television. She cites entertainment as an obvious influence to her idea of college.

“I think for the most part college is what I thought it would be,” Lindquist said. “I do have complete independence and I can go out and do things whenever, but I do also have a heavier workload than I thought I would, so it makes it harder to do things that I want whenever I want.”

SPOrTS

Page 20 // WedneSdaY, FebruarY 16, 2011

ONE ON ONE

SPORTS

The NBA All-Star Circus in Los Angeles Billy O’Riordan and Alex Leedy Sports Commentators

Billy Billy I love all-Star Weekend. I love watching players drain threes and jump over teammates on Saturday. I love seeing what dance Shaq comes up with each year (may his all-Star playing ability rest in peace). I love seeing how far of an alleyoop d-Wade can throw. I love watching the youngsters blow up a scoreboard; I even love what the actual all-Star game has become. my esteemed colleague is going to tell you all of the horrible things about the game, just like my grandpa has been doing since the days of bob Cousy and peach baskets. but, I am a modern man. I am willing to accept that players no longer hate one another, that chances are these players have all played on either the Olympic team or an aau team together. Sure, it’s great to watch a battle between the best players on earth, and luckily we get to do that every June when the nba Finals comes around.

This game is the midseason break in the action, a time to cut down some stress levels and watch the best players on earth prove that they still love this game. give me alleyoops, give me planned acrobatics, give me some half court three’s! This is a weekend about fun (just ask the players attending nelly’s all-Star party every year), and I can’t wait.

Alex I will concede that the all-Star game is generally an entertaining event. It’s hard to make the game unwatchable when you compile the best players in the world and put them in one building. If the united States is apparently willing to watch a show about nba players’ wives literally doing nothing then surely we can watch the players themselves play basketball. but, there are ways that the game could be improved. The nba has to decide whether the all-Star game is going to be a competitive battle where the game carries actual meaning and the players really want to win, or a circus. right now the game is in limbo and no one really knows what to expect. The players are out on the court trying to look good and put on a show, but it’s clear that they don’t worry much about the final score. There either needs to be more incentive for the winning team to encourage more competitive games or a complete transformation into making the game theater.

I really do not think the league should do anything, alex. The nba all-Star game is like the economy. at times it is pitiful, at times it is amazing and most importantly the best way to fix it is just to let it be. The players have always dictated how the game will be portrayed. back in the day, magic and bird made the game competitive because they took their rivalry seriously and it was contagious. The game was competitive once mJ got into the league, because he does not know how to do anything other than breathe and win basketball games. The game has turned into a entertaining free for all because today’s stars are more of a fraternity than they are opposing players. Who knows what the game will look like next. That is up to the Blake Griffin’s and the John Wall’s of the world.

Alex I understand that the players generally determine how competitive the game will be but I think that it is up to the league to keep the game exciting when the players don’t.

If the nba chooses to go the competitive route, then there needs to be more incentive for the winning team. The only thing more important than money to most professional athletes is winning, and the last thing I would want to see is a cash reward for the honor of being selected for an all-Star game and then winning. The nba could emulate baseball’s all-Star game and give the winning team home court advantage for the finals. Most of the players in the game play for championship contenders and would appreciate the value of home court advantage; just ask Kobe about this past year’s game seven. The other option would be for the league to make the game entirely about fan entertainment and less about the actual game. have four players for the west pull out newspapers for one possession and read them at half-court while lebron goes against all five defenders by himself. Maybe take an idea from the Will Ferrell movie “Semi-Pro” and have Dwight Howard fight, or dunk over a bear at halftime. although in the interest of full disclosure billy, I think that a live bear should somehow be included in all major sporting events.

The Pendulum

SPORTS BRIEFS Swepson signs three coaches to Elon program Newly-installed head football coach Jason Swepson made his staff complete with the hiring of three additional coaches.

The new defensive coordinator is Ed Pinkham, who has spent the last three seasons as the secondary coach at Rutgers University.

Pinkham helped lead the Rutgers defense to five top-20 defensive statistical categories, including leading the nation in tackles for loss.

Offensive line coach Ron Mattes comes to Elon after spending the previous year as the offensive line coach for the University of Virginia.

Mattes had an eight-year NFL career playing on the line for the Chicago Bears, the Seattle Seahawks and the Indianapolis Colts.

Dan O’Brien brings a BCS national championship to the Phoenix staff after assisting with the defensive backs and linebackers for the University of Alabama.

The son of N.C. State University head coach Tom O’Brien, Dan O’Brien helped lead the Crimson Tide to a number five national ranking in total defense.

Baseball to hold Meet the Phoenix event on Thursday The men’s baseball team will hold a Meet the Phoenix event at The Cutting Board in

Burlington on Thursday, Feb. 17 at 6:30 p.m. Fans will get a chance to meet players and coaches as the Phoenix begins its season the following day at N.C. State University.

Phoenix picked near top in preseason SoCon baseball rankings Following a 38-24 season that saw the Phoenix make the NCAA tournament, Elon was ranked second in the coaches poll and third in the media poll, respectively. Additionally, senior infielder Neal Pritchard was named a first-team preseason allleague pick.

Men’s golf to compete in intercollegiate tournament Next Tuesday and Wednesday will see the Phoenix traveling to Hilton Head, S.C. to compete in the Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate.

Last year, SoCon rival UT-Chattanooga finished second in the tournament.

It is the first tournament of the spring season for the Phoenix.

Track and Field to compete at Virginia Tech University The women’s track and field team travels north to compete in the Virginia Tech Challenge on Friday and Saturday.

In its previous meet, the Phoenix earned five titles and broke three Elon records.

sPoRTs

The PendUlUm

wednesday, FeBRUaRy 16, 2011 // Page 21

Women’s basketball secures first winning season in Barefoot era trying to catch up.”

The freshman guard scored all 12 of her points in the second With 12 minutes of Saturday’s remaining in Saturday’s half contest with about 30 game against Wofford College, the women’s friends and family in attendance. basketball team held just The team followed a four-point its weekend lead at 47-43.

Looking perfor ma nce Sophomore with a 58guard Ali Ford, ahead: 57 victory who leads the Monday, Feb. team with 17 Saturday - 2 14 at Furman points per p.m. vs. Samford University. game, had been University In that held to nine game, junior points.

Ford Monday - 7 guard Aiesha was knocked p.m. vs. UTHarper led to the ground Chattanooga the team with by a defender, 16 points. but quickly recovered and called for Ford added 11 points, including two 3-point the ball from freshman shots to give the Phoenix guard Kelsey Harris, draining a 3-point basket a 56-54 lead with just more than a minute left to extend the team’s lead to play. to seven.

Saturday’s win was The Phoenix coasted a benchmark to a 73-60 victory for the also for head coach Karen last 12 minutes of the game, ending a three- Barefoot, as the team’s game losing streak. 17-9 record secures the first winning season During the skid, the team lost three games by since the 2003-2004 season. a combined 11 points. “(A winning season) “I really can’t explain how nice it was to look is big for the program,” up (at the scoreboard) Barefoot said. “This is and have a comfortable one of their goals and I’m excited for (the team) 10-point lead,” Ford to be able to accomplish said. it.”

Harris was also In her third season at pleased with the lack of stress at the end of the the helm for the Phoenix, Barefoot has moved the game Saturday, Feb. 12.

“We are tired of program forward from a 5-26 record in her first these close losses, and close games in general,” season to last season’s 12-19 record. The team’s Harris said.

“We’re conference trying to come out and current record of 11-6 is a send a message. I think recently in the first half mark of improvement we’ve been digging holes compared to a combined 8-36 record over and in the second half Conor O’Neill assistant sports editor

WINS PER SEASON

luke lovett | Graphics editor

Barefoot’s first two seasons at Elon.

With three games remaining until the SoCon Tournament, Saturday’s victory was important for the team to get back on track, according to Barefoot.

“I think tonight’s win helped put our program back on track, and I think tonight’s win helped us be tougher,” Barefoot said following the game.

The toughness factor was brought to light when Ford was interviewed after the game, as the guard had

a red stain on the collar of her jersey from a cut lip.

Harris also said the game got scrappy, and that there was some backand-forth talking between the teams.

“A little trash talk here and there is good every now and then, but there is a line that you definitely have to draw,” Harris said.

The next test for the Phoenix will be Saturday against Samford at 2 p.m.

Feb. 19.

lindsay Fendt | Photographer

Sophomore guard Ali Ford drives against Wofford College Saturday, Feb. 12. Ford scored 20 points on the way to a 73-60 victory.

Phoenix baseball team adapts to new playing surface Conor O’Neill assistant sports editor

When the Elon University baseball team takes the field Saturday, Feb. 19 for its home opener, fans might notice a difference in the Latham Park infield.

After the 2010 season ended, construction began on the field to install a FieldTurf surface in the infield.

The new surface had been successfully put down by the time the team took the field in the fall to begin its lengthy offseason, and now the season opener is only days away.

But Saturday will be far from the first time that the team will benefit from playing on the new surface this year.

In addition to lower upkeep, the new turf will provide true and hair hops without any bad bounces on the infield.

“We had rain and snow (in the offseason), I think more than we ever have, and we were inside for one time,” head coach Mike Kennedy said. “Just being able to get out here and get on the field is the biggest difference.”

Getting on the field was important for the team, as there are few players who have vast experience playing on a turf surface.

“This is my first time playing on turf, so I had a lot of adjustments to make,” senior infielder Seth Canipe said.

Another senior for the Phoenix has had some experience on turf, but in a limited capacity. “(I have) probably (played on turf) four or five times in high school, a couple times last year and once or twice in Junior College, but that’s about it,” senior infielder Ben Scott said. “But you get used to it real fast.”

Becoming accustomed to the field was a key to the offseason practices in the fall, as there are several differences when playing on turf.

The biggest factor in game play for the new surface is the effect of sliding, according to Kennedy.

“In terms of playing on it, (sliding) is probably the biggest difference,” Kennedy said. “You are going to slide a little bit further than you normally would, and therefore you have to get down a little bit earlier.”

The players have noticed the difference in sliding, and have been drawing Kennedy’s ire in recent practices.

“Quite a few people have been sliding past the bag lately and (Kennedy) has been getting on them,” Canipe said.

Another key difference to the new playing surface is the reduction of bad hops because of stones or uneven areas in the infield.

“We have such a nice playing surface now; the hops

File Photo | Pam Richter

Last summer, construction began on Latham Park, transforming the former grass infield into a turf infield.

are nice and true,” Scott said.

“There is no reason we should be kicking it around as much as we did last year. Hopefully we can do our job and field every ground ball.”

The Phoenix committed 94 errors in 62 games last season, including seven errors in the last six games of the season.

But a bigger factor for the team will be the effects when the Phoenix hits the road, as it will twice this weekend

at North Carolina State University.

“Out here, you get good hops and everything is fine, pretty much the same speed off the bat, but everything is going to be going to a different field that has dirt,” Canipe said.

Kennedy is also aware that the team could face a challenge when it travels to play teams with dirt infields, but he has done his research.

“The question is what we do when we go on the road to North Carolina State on Friday and we haven’t been on a dirt infield,” Kennedy said. “Every coach that I’ve talked to said there is no difference, as long as your guys handle their responsibilities and stay down on the ball.”

The Phoenix will learn soon enough how it will adjust with its season opener Friday at 3 p.m.

Page 22 // wednesday, February 16, 2011

sPOrTs

The Pendulum

Baseball hosts N.C. State on Saturday, goals set high for a successful season Caitlin Leith reporter

The weather has become warmer, the sun is shining longer and in the distance you can hear the faint ping of bats hitting baseballs. The Phoenix begins its season Friday, Feb. 18 against the North Carolina State University Wolfpack, with its first home-opener agains the Wolfpack Saturday at 2 p.m.

The team is looking forward to the upcoming season, said senior infielder Ben Scott and senior pitcher Thomas Girdwood. “(We’re) very excited about this season," Scott said. This team’s chemistry is better than any other team I have been on.”

Both Scott and Girdwood think this team has the right mix of youth and veteran talent.

“This is a different team than I have ever seen at Elon and I am pumped about this season,” Girdwood said. “This is a great group of guys and we all have each other’s back on and off the field.”

Girdwood goes into the

2011 season on the watch list for the Preseason Stopper of the Year. One of 45 players, Girdwood will attempt to be named the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball.

Additionally, senior infielder Neal Pritchard has been named by the media as a preseason first-team AllSoCon pick.

There are a few additions to the team this year. Not only are there 10 freshmen, but there are also three transfer students.

The transfer students came in from junior colleges around the country.

“Without a doubt we are going to have some freshmen and (junior college) guys making an immediate impact this year,” Scott said.

With a new season comes new challenges, as the Phoenix faces three teams that hold national rankings and 12 teams that participated in the 2010 NCAA Regionals, including a series against the Clemson University Tigers, who advanced to the College World Series last season.

“I prepare myself for the big games the same way I do for every game,” Girdwood

said. “I have “[We’re] very excited beaten,” Scott learned that said. about this season. This as a pitcher Numerous team’s chemistry is c h a n g e s consistenc y and repetition better than any other have been is a key for team I have been on." made to the success.

As team, aside a team, we from the new -BEN SCOTT players. New definitely SENIOR c o a c h i n g practice a little harder and lift and new a little harder equipment t h i n k i n g have made about those a rather games because those are huge large impact on the team. games for our program.”

John McCallister is the new Scott agreed, noting the strength and conditioning program has reached the coach and has already made a point that the Phoenix can difference. play with the top teams in the “I would say the biggest country. difference from last year’s “If we are playing the way offseason is the addition of we should I think we have our new weight coach, coach a chance against anyone,” (McCallister),” Scott said.

Scott said. “Preparing for “Getting as strong as we the tougher games are no possibly can was priority this different than any others.” offseason and we have.”

In fact, getting too excited The NCAA also issued new about playing certain teams bats to all Division I and II can cause the Phoenix to lose schools. While the bats are the game. still made of aluminum, more “I think that is where teams deadening material has been beat themselves, when you added to the bat’s end cap. change the way you approach The new material makes the game because of a big time it more difficult for batters opponent you are already to hit farther, making home

runs more of a rarity. But this has not stopped the Phoenix, according to Girdwood.

“Our hitters are changing their approach at the plate due to the change in the bats this year and we know we have to use our speed this year and play the game of baseball, not home run derby,” he said.

The team ended last year’s season with a 38-24 overall record and 19-11 record in the Southern Conference.

The team also made its third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

This year, the Phoenix hopes to surpass last year’s successful season.

“We not only want to return to a regional, but winning one is a goal of ours,” Scott said. “We feel like we have the experience and talent to do it.”

Girdwood shares this confidence in the team’s ability to compete at the highest level this season.

“It’s time for Elon to take it to the next level and get our name out there,” Girdwood said. “It’s going to happen with this team this year.”

MISSED THE SPRING ORGANIZATION FAIR?

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Kernodle among slew of senior pitchers to lead Phoenix in 2011 J

ared Kernodle, a 5-foot-11-inch senior pitcher comes into his senior season as a leader on the mound for the Phoenix. Kernodle set an Elon record with 32 appearances as a true freshman and has been a stalwart pitcher ever since. In his first two seasons, Kernodle struck out 56 batters in 66 innings.

Last season, Kernodle transferred from the bullpen to the rotation and went 6-3, striking out 52 and only walking 19 in 68.1 innings. Kernodle had his personalbest performance against Davidson last season, where he struck out a career-high 10 batters in 7.2 innings. As one of five seniors pitchers for the Phoenix, Kernodle will be relied on heavily in 2011.

CONTACT: PENDULUM@ELON.EDU TO FIND OUT HOW TO GET INVOLVED, STOP BY THE OFFICE IN MCEWEN 009 OR COME TO A BUDGET MEETING EVERY WEDNESDAY, 7 P.M. IN MCEWEN 002

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SPoRTS

ThE PEndUlUm

wEdnESday, FEBRUaRy 16, 2011 // PagE 23

Men’s basketball resting, re-evaluating as team prepares for SoCon tournament Jack Rodenfels Sports Editor

HeatHer CaSSano | Photo editor

Freshman forward Ryley Beaumont battles against the College of Charleston Wednesday Feb. 9.

February is a month where you Looking ahead: can learn a lot about a college Saturday 8 p.m. vs. basketball team.

UNC-Greensboro In the month leading up to the stretch run of the college basketball season, teams want to be playing their best team basketball at the end of February, heading into March.

March brings conference tournaments, where every team has the opportunity to make the NCAA tournament.

For such a chaotic and eventful time, it’s odd to see the men’s basketball team with an entire week off between games.

“To have a full week of practice in February is something we value a great deal,” head coach Matt Matheny said.

Instead of constantly looking forward to the next team on the schedule, the team gets some time to evaluate their play before Saturday’s game against UNC-Greensboro, and the things that need to be worked on heading into the stretch run, junior guard Drew Spradlin said.

“We will use the week to focus on things we need to do better as a team, like improving on the defensive end,” Spradlin said. “We get to focus on ourselves first before we focus on our opponent.”

Last Saturday, the Phoenix traveled to Charleston, S.C. to face The Citadel Bulldogs. Elon got off to a fast start and built a 38-20 halftime score, as seven Elon players scored in the first half.

In the second half, the Phoenix continued to grow its lead and expanded it to 27 points with 12:23 to play and maintained a 22-point cushion with 6:54 left in the game.

From that point, the Bulldogs caught fire and ended up shooting more than 61 percent from the field in the second half.

Despite its comeback, the Phoenix won

79-72, and snapped its five-game losing streak.

“It’s always great to win a conference game on the road,” Matheny said. “When (The Citadel) began giving us full-court pressure, we struggled. Down the stretch we hit many pressure free throws and that was the difference in the game.”

The Phoenix begins its stretch run against UNC-Greensboro this Saturday and faces Davidson College and Georgia Southern University next week to finish the regular season. Elon defeated all three teams earlier this season in their previous matchups by an average of 14.7 points.

After that, the Phoenix will look to win its first SoCon tournament in team history.

The team reached the finals of the SoCon tournament in 2008 and lost to a Davidson Wildcats team 65-49, the same Davidson team that came within one basket of making the Final Four.

The offense has continued to be potent from the long range throughout the season, as the Phoenix ranks first in the SoCon and fourth in the nation in three-pointers made, with an average of over nine per game.

With nine players averaging more than 15 minutes per game, and of those nine, eight averaging over 40 percent from the field, there have been mutiple offensive threats this season for the Phoenix. Spradlin says the best thing the week off provides is for those players to rest and mentally prepare for the end of the season.

“We need the week to get our legs back and start our push to the conference tournament,” he said.

While the Phoenix has had glimpses of complete play, Matheny said in order for the Phoenix to be playing its basketball when the SoCon tournament begins, the team needs to improve defensively.

“We are a potent offense with quite a few options. We’ve had several very good offensive performances by many different players,” he said. “However, if we’re not shooting well come tournament time, our defense needs to step up and pull us through tough patches.”

Graham leads women’s softball to 3-1 record Hot bats lead Phoenix in opening weekend at Phoenix Leadoff Tournament Joe Bruno Reporter

The title of "preseason favorite" can be hard to handle, even for the defending SoCon champions.

The women’s softball team opened its 2011 slate on East Field, taking on the Kent State Golden Flashes and the Youngstown State Penguins last weekend.

The Phoenix opened up the weekend with two walk-off victories, defeating the Penguins and Golden Flashes, who are both 4-3.

In its first game on Sunday, Kent State took advantage of its strong offense and got off to a 11-0 lead to end up winning 11-3 against the Phoenix.

But Elon regained composure and defeated Youngstown State 10-2 in its final game of the weekend.

Senior outfielder Emerald Graham led the Phoenix, racking up 12 runs batted in and hitting four home runs in the fourgame weekend series. Her walk off sacrifice fly gave Elon its first win of the season.

Graham sees personal improvement as a way to help the team prosper through the season.

“I am just coming out to get better,” Graham said. “I can always get better. I am never satisfied.”

Graham is coming off an AllSouthern Conference season and believes the key to success this year will be hard work.

Looking ahead:

ELON INVITATIONAL Friday 2 p.m. vs. Seton Hall University Saturday 2 p.m. vs. University of Dayton 4:15 p.m. vs. Morgan State University Sunday 2:30 p.m. vs.

University of Dayton “As long as we stay together and put our best foot forward, we will be successful,” she said.

One point of improvement for the Phoenix will be pitching.

Senior Lauren Taylor went 2-0 on the weekend with 14 strikeouts. Her earned run average sits at 4.50 in the infancy of the season. The only other pitchers who took the mound for the Phoenix during the weekend were junior Erin O’Shea and senior Pam DelPizzo. Combined, they allowed 12 runs, all earned, and 13 walks.

Head coach Patti Raduenz wasn’t sure the Phoenix played at the caliber of a preseason SoCon favorite.

“We have a lot of work we need to do if we want to put ourselves in position to be a championship team,” Raduenz said. “We’ve got to play airtight softball and have a more consistent mentality. We have to be a little bit tougher.”

Raduenz believes the team can benefit a lot from these past few games.

“Now there’s a consequence of winning and losing. We have to see where we need to work this next week in practice and try to put those things into the next few games.”

Graham was not the only senior to have a solid performance this past weekend.

Senior third baseman Caitlin McGowan batted .600 and had four doubles, and sophomore outfielder Tameka Watson led Elon with three stolen bases.

Elon softball will stay at home this weekend and participate in the Elon Invitational.

The Phoenix will take on Seton Hall, Dayton University and Morgan State University.

The Phoenix hosts Seton Hall on Friday, a doubleheader against Dayton and Morgan State on Saturday and a Sunday matinee against Dayton.

Morgan State opened its season with a loss against Southern Conference rival Western Carolina. Morgan State also lost to North Carolina Central but defeated Division II Peace College.

Seton Hall and Dayton have yet to play a game this season.

Looking ahead, Elon has some tough challenges on its schedule beginning Feb. 26 when the Phoenix head to Columbia University to face the University of South Carolina Gamecocks.

The Phoenix will also host North Carolina State University,

Molly Carey | Staff Photographer

Junior pitcher Erin O’Shea pitches at the Phoenix Leadoff Tournament.

who lost last year in the championship game of the ACC tournament.

In the SoCon, rivals UTChattanooga and Georgia

Southern University combined for seven all-conference selections. The Phoenix will take on the Lady Mocs and the Eagles a total of four times this year.

Page 24 // weDnesDay, FeBRuaRy 16, 2011

The PenDulum

Sports Julia SayerS | Staff Photographer

Men’s tennis team example of diversity, unity Julia Sayers staff Photographer

Julia SayerS | Staff Photographer

The women’s tennis team is represented by five different countries, including four in Europe. The Phoenix has started the season 2-2.

Freshman one of many on diverse team Elon seeks tennis talent from around the world

Gabriela Szewcow Design Chief

Freshman Frida Jansaker knew little about college tennis Looking before she came to Elon ahead: University. But she has since Friday 2 p.m. @ gotten a pretty UNC-Charlotte good grip on it.

Saturday Noon Jansaker is @ Gardner-Webb from Sweden University and represents one of five countries represented on the Elon women’s tennis team.

Her international teammates include Viviana Stavreva from Italy, Andrea Pont Grau from Spain and Kaylan Smialek from London. The team consists of eight players. Four of them are from the United States.

Head coach Elizabeth Anderson says the team benefits from the different backgrounds. “It’s nice because they all kind of have their own story of how they came to Elon,” she said.

Jansaker didn’t know what to do after high school, but she knew she was good at tennis. She started searching for schools in the United States where she could play. “I knew a guy from my town in Sweden that graduated from Elon,” she said. “He said it was the best school and I’d love it.”

She contacted Coach Anderson and the two conversed back and forth, via e-mail and video. Jansaker didn’t do much research about the school because she trusted her friend’s judgment, and it paid off.

“When I came here, I just fell in love,” she said.

Jansaker started playing tennis when she was five but didn’t start formally training until she was 14.

She currently plays first singles and second doubles for Elon. Playing tennis at Elon opened her eyes to a

Julia SayerS | Staff Photographer Freshman Frida Jansaker serves against radford Feb. 12.

new kind of game.

“The Americans know all about college tennis and that’s a different type of game than we in Europe are used to,” she said.

Jansaker’s teammates had to adjust as well. Pont Grau was used

to playing on a clay court in Spain, Stavreva was used to playing a harder, more aggressive game in Italy and Jansaker played a lot of indoor tennis in Sweden. They’ve all had to make adjustments to their games, and they’ve learned a lot in the process.

“In Europe, it’s all about the player. It’s an individual game for sure,” Jansaker said. “I like it here because it’s more of a team game.”

Being a member of a college tennis team has taught Jansaker and her teammates the importance of being both a student and an athlete.

“In America, you can combine academics and tennis with college tennis and that’s what I like about it,” she said.

Jansaker practiced five days a week in Sweden, splitting her time equally between the game and weight lifting. She said the training schedule in America is much different. “What I don’t like about American tennis is that they focus more on quantity than quality,” she said. Here, the team has to be on the court for an allotted amount of time, even if they’re having an off-day. “In Sweden, if I’m having a bad day and I’m not getting anything out of it, I just take the day off,” Jansaker explained. “But that’s not how the training works here.”

She had two coaches in Sweden: one for tennis and one for weightlifting. “I did a lot of weightlifting in Sweden; I was very used to that. But here in America, they don’t really offer that to tennis players,” she said. Because the training is different, Jansaker often does weights on her own. Her dedication is a testament to her independence as an individual and as a player, which is a characteristic she shares with her international teammates.

“A lot of them are very independent people,” Anderson said of her team. “It makes it easy for them to be so far away from home.”

The Elon University men’s tennis team has four international students, the same number as women’s tennis. The students come from all over the world, representing Colombia, Sw itze rla nd, Mexico and Looking ahead: Canada.

E a c h Saturday 2 p.m. @ Virginia student had Commonwealth University a different r e c r u i t i n g Sunday 10 a.m. @ The e x p e r i e n c e . College of William and Mary Philip Nemec, a senior from Alberta, found Elon while looking at tennis rankings for schools.

He said he had a stressful experience since he signed on later than most.

“My process was stressful but once I got in contact with Coach Leonard he made it really easy,” Nemec said. “I looked at the website and he talked to me about the philosophy. It was an easy decision and I’m glad I made it.”

Nemec has been playing tennis since he was 6-years-old. He chose Elon because of the relationship he instantly formed with Leonard.

“He met my criteria with what I was looking for in a coach and program,” Nemec said, “and Elon’s a great academic school.”

Alberto Rojas, also a senior tennis player, is from Atlatlahucan, Mexico. Rojas has played tennis for 14 years.

He heard about Elon from a Wake Forest student whom he played professional tennis against. He gave Rojas’s e-mail to “Everyone brings Leonard. something different “My recruiting to the table. Just process wasn’t that long or having people from different places compl icated ,” gives us something Rojas said.

“I came to visit the to talk about at all school and had to times." sign my contract -PhIlIP nemeC that week. I had senIOR three choices and was looking at schools in Ca liforn ia, Miami and North Carolina, but when I saw the campus and size of Elon it became my top choice.”

Playing on such a diverse team is a unique experience for all students.

“Everyone brings something different to the table. Just having people from different places gives us something to talk about at all times,” Nemec said.

Rojas said the most important thing is learning to play as a team.

“Tennis is a universal sport,” Rojas said. “When you’re playing, you’re always playing against foreigners. But playing with them is different.”

Both men have enjoyed their time at Elon. Rojas said being an athlete makes the transition to college easier. Nemec didn’t know what to expect coming to college in the U.S., but said it has exceeded his expectations.

“It’s been so much fun,” Nemec said.

"Nothing’s going to trump this, ever.”